Mike McCarthy had plenty to be unhappy about after the Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out by the New York Jets. McCarthy was already discussing the team’s performance when a phone interrupted the postgame presser. The Steelers head coach immediately reacted.

“Please, shut that thing off. I mean, my goodness.” he said at the press conference.

When you’re bested by the Jets, of all teams, by a 17-0 score, that reaction is understandable.

“I think if I’m looking for one clean way to explain the production of going down from eight days ago today, just the details and the execution wasn’t as high.”

Against the Green Bay Packers, it was a different story for the Steelers. They pulled away 28-9 in that game, instilling some hope in fans. It quickly came crashing down this Friday.

Quarterback Will Howard threw two interceptions in the first half, while quarterback Drew Allar and the rest of the offense struggled to get Pittsburgh to the end zone.

Howard finished 10-of-15 for 74 yards, with both interceptions coming while the Steelers were driving into Jets territory. The first came in the red zone, and the second one followed within 15 plays. Allar then completed 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards. A concerning finish for someone in Howard’s position in a QB room like Pittsburgh’s. He admitted later that the two picks were a “shame.”

“We didn’t make the contested catches today,” McCarthy said. “We didn’t separate the breaking points. That’s my initial analysis. When we watch the tape and go through it tomorrow, there’ll be some things on there that were better than we probably expected. And there’ll definitely be more to clean up this week than last week. I think that’s the reality of what happened tonight.

That evaluation will be particularly important for Howard and Allar. McCarthy had deliberately given the two young quarterbacks the entire game after deciding to rest Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. Howard started, while Allar took over later, giving both players an extended opportunity to show what they could do.

McCarthy did not put the entire performance on the quarterbacks, either. He pointed to the running game, route execution, separation, and penalties as areas that contributed to the offensive struggles.

McCarthy also defended the process behind the Steelers’ personnel rotations, explaining that the coaching staff was deliberately moving players around in the offensive line to get as many reps as possible for different combinations.

For McCarthy, that is ultimately what preseason is supposed to provide. The Steelers still have another exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills before turning their attention fully toward the regular season. Friday’s loss was ugly, but the head coach now has plenty of tape showing exactly what Pittsburgh needs to clean up.