Steelers' Broderick Jones Gets Honest About Costly First-Half Struggles

The Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately enjoyed a successful beginning to the Mike McCarthy era, defeating the Green Bay Packers 28-9 in Thursday night’s preseason opener. However, the final score does not fully capture how disjointed Pittsburgh looked during portions of the first half.

The Steelers entered halftime leading 7-6, but penalties consistently disrupted their offensive rhythm. Pittsburgh committed 11 penalties for 134 yards throughout the game, including a holding call against Troy Fautanu that erased a touchdown. Those mistakes prevented the offense from establishing momentum as quickly as McCarthy would have preferred.

Broderick Jones entered the game alongside quarterback Will Howard and experienced some of that early frustration firsthand. Speaking with members of the Steelers media afterward, Jones offered an honest assessment of Pittsburgh’s first-half performance.

"It’s our first game, so we’ve got to knock all those kinks off and get the juices flowing," Jones said. "Be ready. I feel like it was a little sluggish in the first half, but I feel like that’s just how football is. We’ve got to get into the game flow and see how we go."

Jones was addressing the first half as a whole, not simply the snaps he played with Howard. His evaluation was fair. Pittsburgh displayed flashes of offensive potential, but penalties and inconsistent execution made the unit’s performance feel more difficult than necessary. The good news is that Jones did not look overwhelmed. He started slowly, but his performance improved as the game progressed. Pittsburgh eventually reached victory formation with Jones helping protect an offense that found its rhythm and pulled away during the second half.

That represented an encouraging development for a player who entered the preseason needing to prove he is healthy, in football shape and capable of starting. Jones is returning from spinal fusion surgery, so expecting a completely polished performance during his first live action would have been unreasonable. Jones needed to demonstrate that he could handle NFL game speed again, recover after imperfect snaps and improve as he accumulated more work. He accomplished those objectives without creating additional reasons for serious concern. Howard played the second quarter and one drive during the third before rookie Drew Allar took control of the offense. Allar became the game’s biggest story, completing 10 of his 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns while adding another score on the ground.

The offensive line helped create the conditions for that breakout performance. Pittsburgh finished with 385 total yards, converted four of five red-zone opportunities and did not commit a turnover. Those results would not have been possible without the protection improving as the game continued. Still, Jones’ admission about the sluggish start should not be dismissed entirely. Pittsburgh’s penalties eliminated productive plays, created unfavorable situations and kept the offense from building consistency. Similar mistakes during the regular season could determine the outcome of close games.

Steelers Must Eliminate Their Early Offensive Mistakes

For now, the performance looked more like the first day of school than evidence of a lasting problem. Pittsburgh was operating under a new coaching staff, new offensive system and constantly changing preseason personnel. Some communication issues and procedural mistakes were always likely during the group’s first game together. The evaluation changes if those mistakes remain present by the third preseason game. McCarthy and his staff now have clear teaching material, and the Steelers must show measurable progress over their next two contests. The penalties should decline as players become increasingly comfortable with the system and one another.

Jones also needs to continue building momentum. One acceptable performance does not prove that he has completely recovered or secured a major role, but it was an important step. He avoided a disastrous showing, improved throughout the evening and helped Pittsburgh finish its first preseason game with a convincing victory.

The Steelers were sluggish before finding their rhythm, exactly as Jones acknowledged. Their ability to recover was encouraging, but their next challenge is producing that same level of execution without first creating so many problems for themselves.

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