The Pittsburgh Steelers helped Head Coach Mike McCarthy complete his first victory on the road in 2026 this past Sunday. The team now looks ahead to Week 7 for a matchup in Paris, France. Their opponent, the New Orleans Saints, are coming off of a victory themselves on the road as they held off a late comeback by the New York Giants. One key to the victory this past weekend was the defense for Pittsburgh. On Monday, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham spoke during his weekly press conference. He mentioned what his unit will need to do against New Orleans to have success.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
During the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers allowed just six points in the second half after going into halftime trailing 13-3. The unit is now 12th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 21.3 points per game on average. One key to the second half performance from them in Tampa Bay was not allowing backup quarterback Jalon Daniels to beat them with his speed.
Graham mentioned one thing that the team saw a little bit of against Daniels and the Buccaneers on Sunday. However, he has a plan in place for his group to prepare for it in practice this week ahead of the game.
“We’ve got to get ready for the tempo,” Graham said. “Because we got hit with that a few times yesterday the no huddle tempo. So we have to make sure we practice that and I’ve got to have a tight menu for that. When it comes up, they do a good job of going no huddle.”
The defense had a strong showing in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but that was largely due to them facing third-string quarterback Cooper Rush. In Week 2 on the road against the New England Patriots, Graham's group had a harder time slowing them down due to the mobility of quarterback Drake Maye. That mobility in quarterbacks also allows them to play a quicker tempo like the Steelers' defensive coordinator mentioned in his press conference on Monday. However, they did not let it burn them on Sunday against Tampa Bay with how they adjusted at halftime and had a great second half performance.
What may have helped the unit against Tampa Bay is linebacker Payton Wilson making it clear to his team to not take anyone lightly. When speaking about the potential to see up tempo offense on Sunday, Graham discussed the history of Head Coach Kellen Moore as an offensive coordinator in the league. However, he appears ready to get his group to simulate those looks this week in practice so that it does not become an issue in Sunday's matchup in Paris.
Steelers' Defense Must Continue Great All-Around Play
On top of being in the upper half of points allowed per game this season, Graham has his group in the top 10 in total defense, giving up an average of 307.5 yards per game. These excellent numbers so far come with some key pieces sidelined with injuries, like defensive tackle Derrick Harmon on Injured-Reserve (IR), as safety DeShon Elliott is working his way back from it for the secondary. Edge rusher Nick Herbig had his first two sacks of the season on Sunday, which was encouraging with Harmon out.
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Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku during a pivotal Week 14 matchup, demonstrating his awareness and playmaking ability in a tightly contested divisional battle.
Despite some key injuries on the defensive side of the ball, their defensive coordinator has them playing sound defense that is giving them a chance to win each week. Hearing him talk ahead of the matchup against New Orleans is encouraging because he knows what to prepare for so his unit is not caught off guard. The unit must continue their all-around great play because they are giving the offense a chance to put them in position to win every week.
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