Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is drawing a lot of flak after the team’s Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots. That’s fair, because that unit put up only three points. However, the Steelers’ defense wasn’t perfect either. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham pointed to one area that he wasn’t satisfied with against the Patriots.
“We did not do a good job against the run game yesterday, and we have a long way to go with that,” Graham said Monday via transcripts provided by the team. “We’ve got to improve. But usually when you look at a big run, especially if it’s on the inside, it’s never just one person’s fault. In terms of gap integrity, violence at the point of attack, those are usually the things that it’s a combination of.
“But overall, I would say a big thing for us, myself included, we got to make sure that one, just in terms of play style, we’re playing with low pad-level, having more violence at the point of attack, not going one-for-one… Some of the calls I wish I had back right there.”
The Patriots ran for 136 total yards against the Steelers, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. That includes TreVeyon Henderson recording 16 carries for 76 yards and one touchdown, and Rhamondre Stevenson rushing for 43 yards on six carries.
It’s hard to criticize the Steelers’ defense after how poorly the offense played, but that unit wasn’t perfect. Those numbers against the run aren’t good enough, especially because Pittsburgh allowed New England to produce some explosive runs.
The Patriots’ lone touchdown on offense is a great example. That was an awful rep for the Steelers’ defense. The defensive line got zero push, and it got pushed back like it wasn’t even there. That allowed Henderson to go basically untouched as he sprinted into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown.
Wanted to take a look at the TreVeyon Henderson 39-yard TD again, this time from opposite end zone view.
This is perfectly executed by the #Patriots. Payton Wilson demolished in the hole, Patrick Queen erased, same with Rayshawn Jenkins.
Asante Samuel Jr. MT, too. pic.twitter.com/AypKim8Gxw
— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 21, 2026
All of Graham’s criticisms are on display there, too. The Steelers didn’t look aggressive enough, letting the Patriots manhandle them. Pittsburgh has had issues against the run for the last several years, and there was hope Graham’s scheme would change that.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case through the first two weeks. Cam Heyward expressed similar dissatisfaction with the Steelers’ run defense in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. His main gripe was that Atlanta posted 100 yards on the ground. That’s not acceptable to the Steelers’ defense.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for that unit, either. The Steelers will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, and they have a ton of offensive talent. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Burrow are tough enough to defend. If the Steelers let running back Chase Brown get going, too, they could be in for a long day. Their defense has to be stouter against the run going forward.