The Pittsburgh Steelers ended up needing QB Aaron Rodgers to be fantastic in his debut. And he was exactly that, completing over 70 percent of his passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Despite the Steelers’ struggles on defense, Rodgers led the Steelers to a 34-32 win over the New York Jets.
Understandably, Rodgers is receiving a lot of praise for his performance. But what about the man in charge of coming up with the scheme and calling plays? Does offensive coordinator Arthur Smith deserve some of that praise?
“I think Artie Smith isn’t getting enough credit for being able to design an offense, at least play calling yesterday that was very successful,” Steelers insider Mark Kaboly said Monday on The Fan Morning Show. “I think two plays, the [Calvin] Austin [III] touchdown, and I believe the other one was to [Ben] Skowronek, it’s funny how good an offensive coordinator can be when he has a quarterback and some players.”
The play design on Rodgers’ fourth touchdown of the day was beautiful. WR Calvin Austin III initially lined up just wide of the formation to the right. Rodgers brought him in motion behind the right side of the line and snapped the ball. TE Darnell Washington stayed in to block, and Austin slid between the line and Washington. He got a free release right up the seam, and Rodgers hit him for the easy touchdown.
Aaron Rodgers throws his 4th TD to give Pittsburgh the lead!
PITvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/3bU0DRNvjN
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
As for WR Ben Skowronek, he had himself quite the game. He recovered the fumble that set up the Austin touchdown in the fourth quarter. He also had one catch for 22 yards, scoring the second touchdown of his career. And it just so happened to be Aaron Rodgers’ first touchdown pass with the Steelers.
Skowronek lined up in the slot on the left side of the formation. Rodgers took the snap and faked the handoff. Skowronek faked like he’s lining up the slot corner for the block and slithered by. One wide receiver carried his defender up the seam while the tight end leaked into the flat.
Skowronek got wide open, caught the ball at the 12, and didn’t get touched until he was crossing the goal line. It was a great play design that left the unlikeliest of players wide open. And the Steelers made the Jets pay.
RODGERS FIRST TD AS A STEELER #Steelers pic.twitter.com/zgPs1afg95
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 7, 2025
There was also the touch-pass touchdown to TE Jonnu Smith, of course. Everyone knew that Arthur Smith is thrilled to have his favorite tight end back, and he utilized some trickery to get Smith a touchdown.
It wasn’t all pretty for the Steelers’ offense, of course. The run game was stagnant. The Steelers and Arthur Smith will need to figure that out. But while all eyes are on Aaron Rodgers, we should all take some time to appreciate Smith’s creative play designs.
