Preseason football can be a noisy exercise, but Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium gave Steelers fans something worth paying attention to. Pittsburgh’s 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers was more than a warm-weather exhibition and more than a nod to Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy. It was an early look at whether this defense looked different under Patrick Graham.
The answer, at least for one night, was yes.
Graham’s group came out with clear intent and played like a unit that understood exactly what it was trying to do. The energy showed up in how quickly defenders closed on ball carriers, how smoothly they moved, and how few communication breakdowns popped up. It wasn’t flawless, but it was sharp enough to leave a strong first impression.
Green Bay did open with points, but even that drive came with a little help. Jordan Love hit Jayden Reed on a gut-punching 3rd-and-4 completion to keep the possession alive, and Pittsburgh’s man coverage was exposed on the play.
After that, though, the Steelers settled in. The Packers were held to a field goal, and that was about as good as the result could have been for Green Bay.
From there, the defense tightened. Pittsburgh limited the Packers to 3.3 yards per play in the first half and got to the quarterback for a sack.
The pressure kept building, and the Steelers forced punts on back-to-back drives. There were still a few shaky moments, including a late-second-quarter drive that ended in another Green Bay field goal after mistakes in the two-minute drill, but the response mattered just as much as the miscues.
That response is what made the night feel encouraging.
The last time Pittsburgh’s defense was in the spotlight, Lamar Jackson threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns in wildcard weekend, and Teryl Austin’s secondary never really found its footing. Thursday felt cleaner. The Packers managed only 97 passing yards, and while Pittsburgh occasionally settled into a bend-but-don’t-break approach, it never gave up the touchdown Green Bay was chasing.
Graham didn’t show everything, and nobody should expect a preseason opener to reveal the whole playbook. Still, his fingerprints were all over the performance.
The simulated blitzes, the personnel changes, and the overall energy all stood out. There was a clear sense that the group was buying in.
That showed up in the box score, too. The Steelers finished with five sacks and kept the Packers out of the end zone. It also showed in the play of several defenders who flashed throughout the night, including Asante Samuel Jr., Gabe Rubio, and Robert Spears-Jennings.
The strong defensive effort also helped Drew Allar and Will Howard ease into their first NFL action. With the defense controlling the flow, the young quarterbacks had the kind of cushion that lets a game breathe and gives everyone a chance to settle in.
For a preseason opener, that’s a meaningful start. Graham’s hands-on style during OTAs and training camp already hinted at a different feel.
Thursday night backed that up. The Steelers looked organized, energetic, and, most importantly, bought in.
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For a Steelers offense looking for answers behind its top targets, that matters. Bernard already looks like a real contender for the WR3 job, but Aaron Rodgers also pointed to the obvious next step, saying the rookie still has to get sharper with the playbook and the speed of his execution. For now, Bernard has given Pittsburgh something worth watching as camp rolls on. [Read more 🡒]