PITTSBURGH – In his debut with the New York Jets on Sunday, the most significant contribution Davante Adams made wasn’t through catching passes or making plays; it was through a tackle.

Adams recorded three receptions for 30 yards, failing to catch a single pass in the second half on nine attempts. His standout moment occurred on Beanie Bishop Jr.’s second interception of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a play that left New York (2-5) teetering in their 37-15 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) during “Sunday Night Football.”

The newcomer is quickly discovering that being part of the Jets often strays from what one might expect.

“We just have to toughen up and work through it,” Adams stated. “That’s what football is all about. You don’t get unlimited chances.”

Adams fared better than his teammate Garrett Wilson, who let a ball bounce off his chest and right into Bishop Jr.’s hands, enabling him to sprint to the Jets’ 1-yard line. If Adams hadn’t hustled after the play and tackled Bishop Jr., that could have resulted in a touchdown for the Steelers. Wilson also dropped another pass in the red zone and took full responsibility for the Jets’ fourth consecutive defeat.

“I must catch the ball instead of letting it slip through,” Wilson expressed frantically. “I’m performing terribly right now. I need to address this. I can’t take it lightly. I truly believe my mistakes cost us the game. This can’t happen.”

“Today, I let my teammates down. It’s pretty straightforward.”

Wilson believes his errors come from poor habits and not attacking the ball decisively during games.

“I know I have good hands. I need to utilize them to catch the ball,” he added.

The Jets’ offense kicked off with a somewhat predictable five-step drop from Rodgers to Adams, as these former Green Bay Packers teammates reunited just last week, yet the ball went too far out of reach and resulted in an incompletion.

“I wouldn’t say it’s rust,” Adams replied when queried about his chemistry with Rodgers. “There’s definitely room for improvement.”

The first successful connection between them as Jets occurred with seven minutes left in the first quarter, gaining nine yards. Later, Adams stumbled mid-route during a second-down play, causing the ball to fly over his head while Rodgers looked on in confusion, hoping for a penalty.

“We shot ourselves in the foot on multiple instances,” Adams lamented.

During the week leading up to the game, Adams reported positive practice sessions after his trade to the Jets, which involved sending a conditional third-round pick (that could upgrade to a second rounder) to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for his All-Pro skills. This deal happened precisely one week after Jets owner Woody Johnson decided to terminate head coach Robert Saleh following a defeat to the Minnesota Vikings in London.

“You could see the incredible synergy and rapport they share and how aligned they are,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich noted. “However, it had been a while since they played together. As we advance, the rapport and performance of those two will undoubtedly improve.”

With Adams’ addition, it appears Wilson’s targets may be reduced, as he was previously one of Rodgers’ primary targets. Wilson (five catches, 61 yards) managed to score a two-point conversion from Rodgers with 5:29 remaining in the first half, narrowing the score to 15-6. Unfortunately, the Steelers then scored 31 unanswered points for the rest of the game.

In the visiting locker room at Acrisure Stadium, Rodgers met Wilson as they prepared to shower. The veteran quarterback hugged the younger receiver and assured him that he would continue targeting him.

“He’s an exciting player,” Rodgers acknowledged. “We need to make sure he’s included in our targets. No one feels worse about his mistakes than he does.”

Even as the game slipped away, Adams maintained a spirit of optimism as he looked around the offensive huddle.

“That’s what frustrates me even more,” Adams expressed, “knowing we possess such talented players yet only managed to score 15 points against this team. I’m not underplaying their effort, but it feels like a lot of our struggles stemmed from our own mistakes.”

With two standout wide receivers and plenty of veteran support like Mike Williams and Allen Lazard, Jets offensive coordinator Todd Downing and Rodgers have numerous options. It’s clear that not all plays can revolve around Adams.

“Today could have been my chance. I’m ready to contribute now,” Adams declared. “But we’re equipped with various playmakers.”

For Wilson, the issue facing the Jets appears to stem from more than just player talent, which he said makes it less vexing.

“We can definitely fix this,” Wilson stated. “We must approach things correctly… Everything is still achievable, and if we aim to achieve our goals, we need to start winning games, and we need to do it now.”

Ulbrich responded with the phrase “we’ll take a hard look at it” when asked if Adams should have been gradually eased into the team’s game plan rather than playing almost the entire game. He gave the same response regarding Wilson’s performance.

This reconsideration might not be a bad idea for those involved with the Jets.