It was a brutal defeat from an old friend, but there were positives to take out of Week 1's 34-32 loss for the New York Jets.

Coming into this season, New York Jets fans were rightfully hesitant and pessimistic. 

After promises of greatness for years, the only thing that Jets fans could hope for was... hope itself.

There's a new coach, a new general manager, and a new quarterback. Not only that, star wide receiver Garrett Wilson committed to the team by signing a lucrative contract extension.

But the one hurdle that the Jets needed to get over before they start the first day of the rest of their lives was Aaron Rodgers.

The former Jets quarterback who promised greatness for the maligned franchise, and encouraged the franchise to bring in players he was familiar with like Allen Lazard, Davante Adams, and Randall Cobb. But now, he's on the other side of the fence -- New York's Week 1 opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And by suffering at the hands of Rodgers, it's fair to head into this season upset and disjointed. But there were at least three positives to take out of the game, so let's dive into them.

Justin Fields

There were a lot of raised eyebrows when it was announced that the Jets decided to move forward with Justin Fields as their quarterback.

After a murky few years as the Chicago Bears starting quarterback, and then getting benched for Russell Wilson while with the Steelers last season, was it possible that Fields was a depreciating asset? An asset that the Jets are paying $20 million for?

It's only one game, but Fields understood the assignment.

Against the team that gave up on him, he threw for 218 yards on 72% completion and a passing touchdown. On top of that, he was New York's second leading rusher, going for 48 yards on 12 carries.

Albeit it happening under a loss, it was a step in the right direction for not just Fields, but the Jets as a whole.

On a constant search for a quarterback, you can imagine the trepidation that Jets fans have committing to a quarterback long term.

But after this performance, the cautious optimism seems warranted.

Breece Hall

Running back Breece Hall was probably the most valuable player wearing green on Sunday.

Coming into the season, there were whispers about what kind of future Hall may have had in New York. Was it time to pivot to Braelon Allen? Do you see what hall can pull in a trade?

Hall hasn't had a poor career by any stretch of the imagination. In two and a half seasons (with his rookie year being decimated by injuries), he's compiled a promising profile in the backfield.

In both of his full seasons, he amassed 1,300 scrimmage yards or more, and Sunday was no different.

On top of rushing for 107 yards on 5.6 yards per carry, he also had 38 yards on two receptions, totaling 145 scrimmage yards.

He looked confident, shifty and explosive. Everything New York needs -- especially with a heavy emphasis on the run this season.

Will McDonald IV

Look at the score, and you'll understand why the overall defense was less than spectacular.

Certainly it's a point of emphasis to address, especially with coach Aaron Glenn being a defensive guy.

But a positive to take out of it, was that former first rounder Will McDonald IV looked incredibly promising.

Already coming off a dominant sophomore season, where he posted 10.5 sacks, three deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, McDonald shined, and let his former quarterback reminisce his days from practice.

McDonald posted two tackles, with those two tackles being sacks -- a specialty for the third year player out of Iowa State.