Ravens-Bills epic begins season at No. 1

The Steelers got a throwback four-touchdown performance from Aaron Rodgers and, importantly, received contributions from many of the new faces who joined the team this season (Jonnu Smith, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey). The defense wasn’t good, the running game was quiet and the offensive line has to protect better, but Rodgers called it a “coach’s dream journal,” and that was the perfect description: a win, coupled with a lot of things to clean up. As for the Jets, there are no moral victories, but absolutely nobody predicted it would take a 60-yard field goal to end a shootout to defeat them, and Justin Fields might have played the best game of his career, throwing downfield and using his legs as a weapon, as the Jets hoped he would. New York’s offensive line, including rookie Armand Membou, looked like a strength of the team, and Garrett Wilson is clearly going to enjoy a big season with Fields. This was a thriller that should have left both teams encouraged. — Judy Battista