Steelers' Patrick Graham Is Building A Quiet Advantage For The AFC North's Toughest Tests

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a problem that every AFC North contender eventually encounters: the formula that works beautifully one Sunday can look pretty useless the next. A defense can spend four quarters bullying an opponent at the line of scrimmage, then discover that another rival has little interest in running into the same wall. Pittsburgh's radio voice sees an encouraging answer taking shape. The question is whether it can survive more demanding opponents.

Steelers play-by-play announcer Rob King believes defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is gradually delivering on his promise to change Pittsburgh's approach from opponent to opponent. The idea isn't to abandon physical football. It's to stop assuming one version of that football can handle every offense on the schedule, especially inside a division with dramatically different personnel. During Wednesday's appearance on SNR Drive, King wrestled with the difference between being identifiable and becoming predictable.

“Patrick Graham said, ‘We're going to change from week to week,’ and I think he's gradually done that as well… I go back and forth on this a lot, like how important is it to have an identity? You know, I think there's some comfort in an identity. And if the Steelers' identity was you can't run the ball against them and we can run the ball against you, well that's a great identity,” King said.

Sunday provided a convincing advertisement for the physical version. Pittsburgh rushed for 148 yards and held the New Orleans Saints to 18 yards on 17 attempts during a 16-10 victory in Paris. That was a genuine beatdown in the trenches. Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton helped squeeze the rushing lanes until New Orleans barely bothered testing them.

There is comfort in knowing the opposing back probably won't reach the second level. There is also a danger in mistaking one successful matchup for a complete defensive identity. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough completed 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards. New Orleans converted six of 12 third downs and both fourth-down attempts. Pittsburgh made the vital stops, but an opponent unable to run still found plenty of throwing windows.

Graham has already moved away from the coverage tendencies Pittsburgh relied on previously. The Steelers leaned heavily on man coverage in 2025; this season, the defense has operated primarily from zone looks. One recent film breakdown put their zone usage around 84%, a striking departure from the old approach. Instead of asking every cornerback to win a prolonged isolation battle, the unit frequently disguises its intentions before the snap and changes the picture as a quarterback processes the play.

Graham even said in April that his playbook would evolve with his personnel instead of following a fixed script. That can be valuable without requiring a different playbook every seven days. Show a two-high shell, rotate after the snap and make the quarterback reconsider the middle of the field. Present pressure, then drop a defender into the passing lane. The opponent's tendencies determine which wrinkles deserve the most attention. The challenge is having all eleven defenders recognize the same adjustment.

Pittsburgh has already experienced the painful side of that learning curve. During the October 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns, coverage rotations produced communication mistakes and openings that Deshaun Watson exploited. The communication growing pains haven't magically disappeared, but the staff now has evidence the more elaborate looks can create turnovers.

Against New Orleans, Payton Wilson intercepted Shough near the goal line after handling his underneath responsibility with help behind him. Patrick Queen helped end the Saints' final meaningful possession with a sack. The defense didn't have to win every snap to make the decisive ones count. Its improved disguise created some of those opportunities, although poor third-down results show there's more work remaining.

King then widened the discussion beyond Sunday's result, naming the two divisional threats that expose why a rigid approach doesn't cut it.

“I don't know what the Steelers' identity will eventually be, but I also think in this day and age, adaptability is important, too. I mean, you know, just look within your own division. One week you got to stop, just on the defensive side, you got to stop Derrick Henry. The next week you got to stop Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. That's two completely different challenges. You have to be able to be adaptable,” King said.

Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens forces defenses to protect their run fits, set firm edges and tackle a powerful back before he builds speed. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals can punish defenders who become so focused on the box that passing lanes open behind them. They're different examinations, and Pittsburgh won't get to pick just one.

Steelers Must Prove Their Adjustments Work Against Everyone

King is right about the value of flexibility, but there's an important catch: changing a defensive call doesn't automatically mean the defense is adaptable. Pittsburgh can disguise its zone shell beautifully and still allow a receiver to sit down at the sticks for another third-down conversion. If Graham's weekly adjustments don't translate into clean communication and tighter coverage, the variety becomes decoration.

That makes Sunday's rematch with Cleveland an important checkpoint. The Browns already punished Pittsburgh's early mistakes, while the coming games against Baltimore and Cincinnati will demand other answers. Graham doesn't need eleven players learning a brand-new defense every week. He needs them executing the right parts of a growing one without hesitation.

Being a team nobody can run against is a terrific starting point. Being a team that can change its answer when opponents stop trying to run is how Pittsburgh gives that identity staying power.

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