Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham
Not every defensive starter suited up Thursday night against the New York Jets, but enough of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team defense was on the field that allowing a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive against New York’s starting offense was difficult to justify. DC Patrick Graham took the blame for the group’s early struggles.
“Bad job by me, not having ’em ready to go,” Graham said via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X. “We had some positives…but whether it’s third-down conversions, big plays in the passing game, that ultimately, the start of the game falls on me.”
Steelers DC Patrick Graham takes the blame for Steelers D allowing Jets' seamless opening drive
Graham: "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"
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 22, 2026
Teams typically don’t game plan much or waste time scouting the opposing team during the preseason. It’s more about calling basic concepts and seeing if the players can execute while competing against top competition. In this case, they only got one chance against starting QB Geno Smith, and they failed.
They allowed an explosive passing play to AD Mitchell, with Jamel Dean opening up his hips too early and getting beat by an out route. There was also the touchdown, which was almost untouched into the end zone as Patrick Queen and Alex Highsmith appeared not to be on the same page about who was covering the tight end spilling out into the flat. The defense had two opportunities to get off the field on third down—both third and long—but failed to execute.
Pittsburgh’s defense wasn’t going to show many wrinkles or complexity in a preseason game, but that made it even more frustrating that assignments were blown on the field. That falls on the players, but Graham insists he is the one to blame. He did, however, admit he wants more from the group overall.
“I want more, I’m greedy,” Graham said via 93.7 The Fan. “I want those guys hunting people. I want it to be a problem if you catch the ball underneath. I want them to feel us. And I’m gonna make that very clear today.”
I’m greedy, I want more#Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on first-team defense pic.twitter.com/Drsgk44ciL
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) August 22, 2026
The team is treating today like the Monday after a normal game day on Sunday. They are reviewing film as a group and talking through where they can improve for next week.
The defense will get one more tune-up game Thursday against the Buffalo Bills before the regular season starts. If Graham gets his way, Pittsburgh’s defense will be flying around, playing with the urgency and physicality he expects—even if it is only the preseason.