The Pittsburgh Steelers looked abysmal in their preseason Week 2 game. They lost 17-0 to the New York Jets and had way more negatives than positives to take away from the exhibition. Will Howard threw two interceptions that sparked a debate over whose fault it was for both of them while the secondary bent a little too much for comfort throughout the night. It felt more like a team that was unable to get on the same page, as opposed to a squad that is all in on their coaches' new schemes.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy looks on during Pittsburgh's 17-0 loss to the New York Jets during the 2026 preseason.
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, however, has a different mindset on how that game played out. On the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he gave his take on how the contest actually played out.
"I think there's a lot of really good to come out of that game," Roethlisberger said. "There was some not-so-good... I actually think there's a lot more good than bad... I'm still riding high on the Steelers; I really like what we have and where we're going."
Roethlisberger went into detail about what actually looked good from the team throughout the show, as he pointed to areas within almost every single position group, including the punting. Of course, this was just a preseason game, so it doesn't mean much. Even for the issues that the Steelers did show in that contest, they have a few weeks to work them out and get back on track.
Some of the issues on offense can be credited to the coaches focusing more on the mechanics and fundamentals than the actual game plan. The Jets did not go as vanilla as Pittsburgh did, which led to some reads that Howard did not expect. It doesn't outright excuse the issues on the offensive line, but it does help provide a reasoning as to what happened exactly.
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Steelers quarterback Will Howard throws a pass against the New York Jets in an NFL preseason game in August of 2026.
Of course, the Steelers are working through some new schemes on both sides of the ball, so it will take time to figure everything out. That's why we have these preseason games in the first place, to help get everyone on the same page and get the mistakes out quickly. That 17-0 loss felt horrible, but in about a month, many people will forget that this game even existed.
Another thing that Roethlisberger kept alluding to towards the show is the talent at different spots on the team. To his point, there is a lot of upside on this team, even if it will take time to reach that point. Nearly every position is deep with talented starters and quality backups that could step up and fill a role, whether it's for one game or the whole season. It will be interesting to see how all these pieces play out.
Steelers Seem To Be Following Recent Trend Around The NFL
In the last three Super Bowls, one thing has stood out. The teams that made it there were deep and were able to make up for less-than-stellar quarterback play. On those squads, the passer played more of a complementary role as opposed to being the whole reason why they made it there in the first place. As long as the man under center limited his mistakes, everyone around him could thrive.
That looks to be the kind of team that the Steelers are building. It's clear that Aaron Rodgers is not the same quarterback that he was seven years ago, but his high football IQ and ability to limit mistakes is what made Pittsburgh fall in love with him in the first place. The team surrounded him with a lot of high-upside linemen and extremely talented receivers to go with playmakers all over the defense, so he doesn't have to carry.
What do you think about Roethlisberger being more excited than worried despite the Steelers' upsetting 17-0 preseason loss? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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