The Steelers didn’t wait long to test a Jets secondary playing without Darrelle Revis.
It was the third play of the first offensive drive for Pittsburgh when Ben Roethlisberger looked for Sammie Coates deep down the right sideline. Coates was several steps behind cornerback Marcus Williams with no safety help in the immediate vicinity, so there was nothing left to do but sprint for the end zone on a 72-yard touchdown pass.
The score gave the Steelers a 7-3 lead over the Steelers, who drove for points to open the game thanks to a couple of completions to Brandon Marshall and another one to Quincy Enunwa.
That success in the passing game is a welcome change from Ryan Fitzpatrick’s nine interceptions in the last two weeks. It’s unlikely to be enough if they can’t stop the Steelers from having even more success when they put the ball in the air.