The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the New York Jets, 17-0, on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium. Strangely enough, it was the first time the Steelers were shut out in a preseason game since 2016, when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by an identical score. Although Pittsburgh didn’t put up a single point, there is still plenty to talk about.
The Steelers fell behind early and never recovered, generating just 203 total yards of offense against a Jets defense that capitalized on every misstep.
There really isn’t a nice way to talk about Will Howard’s performance in his first career start. The young quarterback finished 10/15 for 74 yards.
Mason Rudolph may be one of the biggest winners from tonight, and he didn’t take a single snap, as Howard’s struggles compounded doubts about who might reliably back up the starting quarterback during the regular season.
Allar finished his night in relief of Will Howard with completions on 11 of his 23 passes for 110 yards. He was the victim of frequent penalties and drops from his receivers, but also looked hesitant with his downfield reads in the pocket. He avoided the major mistakes Howard made, but generally did not distinguish himself from his teammate meaningfully.
The running game, at least, showed modest improvement week to week. Kaleb Johnson led the way with 10 carries for 39 yards as the Steelers totaled 98 yards on the ground.
The Steelers could shut Elandon Roberts down for the rest of the preseason, and it would be justified. The linebacker seemed to be on a different level than anyone else in this game. Roberts made his presence known from the moment he stepped on the field, stopping a run at the line of scrimmage. His most impressive play came on a fourth-and-two where he made a phenomenal open-field tackle to prevent a New York first down. Roberts played with his hair on fire, and is going to bring that same energy and production into the regular season.
Safety is one of the Steelers’ thinnest positions on the roster, and Jenkins’ performance in this game gave his chances of making the roster a serious bump. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham made it a point to blitz Jenkins early and often, and it worked like a charm as Jenkins recorded a TFL early in the contest. Jenkins has proven that he is a solid veteran presence that can change the game in the blink of an eye while chasing the quarterback. He has a real shot to make the 53-man roster.
If the punter is one of your biggest winners, your team likely didn’t have a great week. All jokes aside, Johnston averaged 50.5 yards on his 6 punts in the contest. The Steelers defense will be thanking Johnston for giving them more room to work with if he keeps this going into the regular season.
Jason Sanders booted through a 39-yard field goal to give his team a 10-0 lead over the Steelers midway through the fourth quarter. He was set up by a 44-yard completion from quarterback Bailey Zappe to Junior Bergen.
The Jets are narrowly outgaining the Steelers by a 231-203 margin on what’s been a difficult night for both offenses.
The Jets have added to the pain here late for the Steelers. Quarterback Brady Cook completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner Jr. to give his team a 17-0 lead here with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Neither team scored in the third quarter as the Steelers and Jets continued to trade punts and turnovers on downs.
The Steelers beat Green Bay 28-9 last week as Drew Allar, Will Howard, and Mason Rudolph each made a case to be the backup. The 42-year-old Rodgers has made it clear that he doesn’t believe he would gain any sort of advantage by playing in preseason games.
Pittsburgh takes on another of Rodgers’ former teams in the Jets. New York lost to the Buccaneers in Week 1, 24-16. Braelon Allen had a standout performance for the Jets, scoring a touchdown and rushing for 44 yards.
National TV channel: NFL Network
Local TV channels: KDKA (Pittsburgh), CBS New York
Live stream: fubo
Steelers vs. Jets will air regionally on KDKA in Pittsburgh and on CBS New York in the Jets’ television territory. NFL Network will have coverage nationally.
Fans looking to stream the game can do so on fubo, which offers a free trial for all new users so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
Date: Friday, Aug. 21
Time: 7 p.m. ET
The Steelers vs. Jets game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 21. The game will be played at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
