The Pittsburgh Steelers start their 2025 season on Sunday, visiting the New York Jets in a matchup filled with storylines. All that aside, Pittsburgh is entering a game it should win if the Steelers are the type of contender they hope to be. As long as they avoid mistakes, a win is something The 33rd Team’s Steve Palazzolo thinks they’re capable of achieving.
“Don’t turn the ball over,” Palazzolo said on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday. “I just think Pittsburgh’s a better team. Don’t make crucial mistakes, don’t turn it over. And I think over the time the better team should win. You know, trust that defense, and make some stops on fourth down.”
That sounds eerily similar to the path the Steelers have taken to win games in the past, with arguably less talent on offense. This year is different, with the Steelers’ QB1, WR1 and RB1 all stepping into that role for the first time in Pittsburgh.
There’s a good chance this is an ugly game. And if the Steelers and the Jets run the ball as well as they hope, it should be a quick one as well. With the Steelers’ talented secondary, Justin Fields could be more of a threat with his legs than his arm. Joined by a talented running back duo, the Jets’ main focus is going to be their ground game.
It should be for the Steelers, too. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are veterans, but they got no reps together in the preseason. Against a talented Jets defense, things might be a little bumpy to start. Running the ball well will be important to help the offense get into a quick rhythm.
All of that has the makings of a close game, which the sportsbooks agree with. The Steelers enter as slim favorites over the Jets at a -2.5 mark. However, Palazzolo thinks the spread might have looked much different if the game took place a few weeks from now.
“If the Steelers are as good as I think they can be defensively, I think this is like a six or seven point spread three weeks from now,” Palazzolo said. “Everything’s tighter in Week 1.”
It’s not a huge surprise that the spread is so close. Both offensively and defensively, there’s a lot of novelty to this version of the Steelers. It’s going to take some time for both sides to jell, and that process won’t be complete in Week 1.
That said, the Steelers have enough talent to handle a game like this. It doesn’t sound as sexy as some might hope, but if they play smart and don’t turn the ball over, the Steelers should walk out of MetLife Stadium with a win over the Jets this Sunday.
