PITTSBURGH – Two scenes inside the New York Jets’ locker room told the story of their 37-15 loss Sunday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.

Newly acquired wide receiver Davante Adams, surrounded by reporters, seemed incredulous that an offense with so much talent managed just two touchdowns and was shut down in the second half.

“That’s almost what pisses you off even more, knowing that you have those kinds of weapons and you come up short…” he said.

As Adams spoke, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Garrett Wilson — in the far corner of the room — embraced for several seconds. It was a comforting hug. Wilson blamed himself for the Jets’ fourth straight loss, saying his fall in the third quarter — intercepted by Beanie Bishop Jr. – was the turning point.

It was one of those nights for the Jets (2-5): emotional, frustrating and bitterly disappointing. Under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced the fired Robert Saleh, the score is 0-2.

Adams’ long-awaited Jets debut and his reunion with Rodgers produced some early flickers, but no fireworks. It was a tough night for Rodgers (two interceptions) and his two star receivers, as Adams and Wilson combined for just eight receptions and 91 yards on 18 targets.

“I have to play better,” said Rodgers, who has five interceptions in the last three games. “That’s the key, I have to play better. We have to find a way to run the ball better so we can make plays and pass action.”

The Jets played well in the first 20 minutes, jumping to a 15-6 lead on Rodgers’ 1-yard scoring pass to Tyler Conklin. Then the crime disappeared. Just before halftime, Rodgers threw traffic over the middle to Wilson and it was cleared by Bishop.

“An interception,” Rodgers called it, taking the blame.

It was a momentum changer; the Steelers converted the turnover into a touchdown to make it 15-13 at halftime. Rodgers said there was no energy at halftime – or before the game, for that matter, a rather stunning admission.

“It felt like the energy — and it starts with me — the energy, for whatever reason at halftime, was a little flat,” Rodgers said. “It also felt like it was flat before the game… So I look at myself and what I can do to bring better energy, but we all have to do better.”

Rodgers added, “I mean, Sunday Night Football on NBC, the only show on TV. I live for these games and I just don’t quite understand why the energy was a little flat.”

The acquisition of Adams was supposed to provide a spark and fuel the offense. He was targeted on the first play and the throw was wide, out of his hands – a harbinger of the evening. Adams made 53 of 55 plays on offense, but managed just three catches for 30 yards on nine targets.

Adams, who missed his last three games with the Las Vegas Raiders due to a hamstring injury, said there was no rust between him and Rodgers. He attributed the unproductive night to playing conditions. He expressed optimism about the potential of the offense.

“I’m excited, man,” he said. “I’m in a bad mood — we lost the game — … but I’m still excited about what this football team can do. There’s a lot of talent. I mean, the offense that we have, the weapons that we have, when I’m in the group several times today, I just look around (at the talent) and it’s a bit crazy.”

Rodgers, who appeared to be hampered by a left hamstring injury, completed 24 of 39 passes for 276 yards. He struggled to get the ball to his wideouts as he completed only 13 of 25 attempts. He also seemed hesitant to throw downfield; he didn’t throw a pass longer than 19 yards. His most effective play was dumping the ball to running back Breece Hall, who had six catches for 103 yards.

On their second possession of the second half, Rodgers again looked for Wilson – a good ball, but it bounced straight to Bishop. He returned it to the 1-yard line and set up another touchdown.

“I’m excited, man. I’m in a bad mood — we lost the game — … but I’m still excited about what this football team can do. There’s a lot of talent. I mean, the offense we have have, the weapons that we have, when I’m in the group several times today, I just look around (at the talent) and it’s kind of crazy.

JetsWR Davante Adams

“I’ve got to catch the damn ball,” Wilson said. “I’m playing like s— now. I gotta fix it. I don’t take that lightly. That was the reason we lost the game at the end of the day. (That) s— can’ It can’t be happen. It’s a terrible play.

“It’s like a culmination of me getting bad habits, not attacking the ball in play and all of a sudden I have to fix it. I have good hands. I have to start using my hands and catch the ball.” damn ball.”

The Jets, who started the season with Super Bowl aspirations, travel to the New England Patriots (1-6) in a virtual must-win. One more loss and they could be roasted on Halloween.

“That game, especially that second half, that’s not who this team is,” Ulbrich said. “It’s not good enough and that starts with me and the coaching staff. We can all give more and we will give more. We have what we need. That’s not who we are. Extremely disappointed.”