If the New York Jets had one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL last season (2,784 passing yards- least in the league), have Geno Smith under center, the QB who threw the most interceptions in 2025 (17 INTs), and still you cannot restrict them through their first possession of the game, questions need to be asked of your defense. The Pittsburgh Steelers probably need to do that after their preseason performance against the Jets, as they suffered a 17-0 defeat, where Smith starred.
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Steelers’ new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was put under the microscope after a horrendous defensive showing. The Steelers fanbase has seen plenty of defensive rosters fail to live up to their potential on paper. The wide-open 13-yard TD that came from a play-action pass to Jets’ TE Jelani Woods to conclude the opening 69-yard TD drive felt like it was going to be the story of the season for the Steelers defense. Except, Patrick Graham’s approach to the preseason failure was unexpected.
“I’m not going to run from it, hide from it,” Graham said, according to Christopher Carter on X. “We’re going to spend time watching that drive as a group, making sure about communication, making sure we have the same vision. As a coordinator, I have to do a good job having them ready to go. That’s on me.”
Despite not having their full starting defense against the Jets, Patrick Graham did not give any such excuses, nor did he try to highlight the “it was just preseason” excuse.
“Bad job by me, not having ’em ready to go. We had some positives…but whether it’s 3D conv, big plays in the passing game, that ultimately the start of the game falls on me,” Patrick Graham further said of the opening drive per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X.
New Schemes, New Problems for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense under Patrick Graham
Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive roster is adapting to a new defensive scheme under new head coach Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham. After years of running concepts shaped by HC Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin, Graham is implementing new coverage patterns, different pre-snap adjustments and rules, and new defensive terminology that players are still adapting to.
Graham is coming to the Steelers with over two decades of HC experience. His time with the Las Vegas Raiders was specifically brilliant. It might be a strange admission to make as the team has not had much success, but Graham was able to mould one of the best defenders in the league – Maxx Crosby during his time with the Raiders.
Prior to him taking over the team, the Raiders were ranked 28th in scoring defense, however, he turned things around, and took them to 15th place in just one season. Throughout his time in Vegas, Graham’s influence was there to be seen.
“Patrick Graham is the man,” said Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on his podcast, ‘The Rush.’ “He is hilarious, he swears that he is swaggy, he is just one of us, one of the guys. Having him on the sidelines with us has been so dope. Because I know that he is more comfortable just being with us, you know what I mean. Before the games in the past years ago, he would be super stressed out and you know ‘I need to make sure everything is all right.”
Mike McCarthy has previously pointed out that he wasn’t happy with the amount of pre-snap penalties he saw in practice, and that they were higher than normal. Even after their first preseason game against the Packers, which the Steelers won 28-9, McCarthy pointed out that “the penalties are way too high.”
Pittsburgh racked up 11 penalties for 143 yards in their opener against Green Bay, including six 15-yard penalties. While the first half against the Jets was cleaner, second-half holding flags and special teams penalties repeatedly stalled drives and hurt the Steelers’ field position (4 penalties for 30 yards).
T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Patrick Queen, Alex Highsmith, and Joey Porter Jr. are among the stars on Pittsburgh’s defense. However, individual star power cannot hide lapses in assignment.
The Steelers now turn to face the Buffalo Bills in their final preseason game, where Patrick Graham will expect sharper communication and physical discipline from his players. Steelers fans will hope that the tape analysis of the Jets’ opening drive acts as an eye-opener for the defense as the 2026 season gets closer than ever.