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It’s just the preseason. The final score doesn’t matter. But when you’re shut out at home by the New York Jets of all teams, the vibes aren’t exactly great. 5 takeaways from the Steelers’ 17-0 loss to the New York Jets Takeaways, analysis, and overreactions from the Steelers’ preseason Week 2 loss. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had after the Steelers’ 17-0 loss Friday night. 1. New updates in the QB battle, but don’t blow it out of proportion Will Howard wasn’t great Friday night. Throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns in a half of football will do that. And yes, unless he lights it up next week, it’s going to be tough to argue that he brings more to the table as a QB2 than Mason Rudolph come cutdown day. Still, it makes hardly any sense to be victory-lapping over the Ohio State product’s poor showing against New York, just as it was foolish to victory-lap after the handful of good throws he made last week against Green Bay. Howard’s first interception was due to a clever defensive disguise from the Jets (he still should’ve seen the safety). His second probably could’ve been an incompletion if wide receiver Roman Wilson hadn’t heavily drifted upfield, but it still looks like the throw would’ve been behind in what was already a tight window. Before anyone accuses me of making excuses, I’ll point out Howard carries plenty of the blame on both turnovers, and had some misses outside of those plays. His backwards drifting in the pocket on a first-quarter sack turned what was already a rough Broderick Jones rep into a big play-canceling mistake. I never thought Howard would be any sort of long-term starter for the Steelers, and still definitely don’t. His realistic NFL ceiling has always been that of a good backup. Still, it’s easy to forget that this was his second-ever preseason game, and neither of his interceptions were of the embarrassing variety. At this point, Howard looks to be headed towards the practice squad to open the regular season, and for good reason. But he still has plenty of time to prove he has a career in the NFL. Please, stop overreacting to preseason games, good or bad. The same could be said of rookie Drew Allar, who played the entire second half for Pittsburgh. His third-quarter connection with Lake McRee while drifting left was the exact type of “wow” throw that shows why the Steelers took a gamble on the Penn State product in the first place. Allar also had a number of passes that ranged from “catchable” to “very catchable” that were not caught by the third-string receivers he was throwing to. The flip side is true as well, though — Allar continues to look promising, but still hasn’t played against a defense in the preseason where the majority of players will be on a 53-man roster in September. The arrow continues to point up, but we haven’t really learned much that we didn’t already see last week. What we can take away from Friday’s game: Mason Rudolph, despite not even playing, took a clear lead in the QB2 battle. Will Howard showed he still has growing to do. And Drew Allar clearly has upside. Shocking. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing Drew Allar start next week against the Bills, giving him a chance to play with and against better players. Not that Howard doesn’t deserve another shot, but it would be nice to get Allar some more interesting reps before he’s likely buried on the depth chart in the regular season. 2. New defenders bring the juice Big names such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Joey Porter Jr. did not suit up against the Jets, but it was still disappointing to see Pittsburgh’s kinda-starting defense get shredded by a Geno Smith-led New York passing game on the opening drive. As might be the theme of this column, it’s really not worth freaking out over. But that drive did sort of look like the Steelers defense at their worst last year: the secondary allowing too much separation, and the pass rush failing to generate quick pressures. Outside of that opening drive, however, Pittsburgh’s defensive depth actually came to play. Veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who was signed during camp, continued to build his case for a roster spot with one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. He looked highly effective near the line of scrimmage and as a blitzer, making him a valuable backup to DeShon Elliott given their similar strengths. But Elandon Roberts, who reunited with the Steelers in mid-August, arguably put together the best game of anyone on the field Friday night. The veteran linebacker looked like a player whose experience put him a step ahead of anyone else playing deep in a preseason game, leading the Steelers with five total tackles, including one tackle for loss and an open-field fourth-down stop. He was everywhere against the Jets. It was good to see him back, and wearing No. 50 again, too. I would put Malik Harrison’s roster chances close to zero at this point. Other defenders who stood out included second-year linebacker Carson Bruener, who logged pass deflection as well as a gap-shooting sack where he overpowered a blocking running back, and rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings, who dislodged a catch with a big hit in the third quarter. I’ve written plenty about how the Steelers seem to only have strong safeties on the roster, but at least those strong safeties seem to be playing well. There will likely be some growing pains — I’m not forgetting that game-opening drive — but overall, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme seems built to maximize downhill players such as Roberts and Jenkins with a blitz- and sim pressure-heavy style. Already, the inside linebackers seem to be popping off the screen more than in years past. Don’t forget how Graham’s defense with the Raiders led to the best seasons of former Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane’s career, who was formerly seen as a highly one-dimensional player with the black and gold. 3. Good, bad and ugly on special teams Special teams is rarely the most exciting part of a preseason game. But it is an important facet. For roster bubble players, performance in the third phase of the game is an essential aspect of making the final 53. And it wasn’t always pretty for the Steelers Friday night. One clear positive was punter Cameron Johnston, who averaged 50.5 yards over a whopping six boots, even landing one on the 4-yard-line. The Steelers have had some solid punting in past seasons, but Johnston has a chance at being the first true weapon the team has had at the position in quite some time. There was less success at kicker, where rookie Laith Marjan missed his lone attempt of the night on a 44-yarder. It was far from a disaster given the Steelers have Chris Boswell for the regular season, but there is always some solace in knowing there’s a Matthew Wright-type figure available in case reliable No. 9 ever misses time. Maybe not this year. More concerning was rookie return specialist Kaden Wetjen fumbling on one punt return and bobbling another. Yes, the excuse of it being his second-ever NFL game is absolutely fair, but less so for a rookie drafted primarily for special teams — a part of the game where it’s imperative to impress even in small sample sizes (see: Kaleb Johnson vs. Seattle last year). Another mistake next week — and note I’m not saying that’s likely — could lead to some legitimate concerns over what the Steelers do at returner entering September. Still, I wouldn’t be too worried; there are some expected NFL jitters to overcome as a rookie, and Wetjen’s high-end burst was obvious on a 13-yard return in the third quarter. A more positive special teams rookie standout was Spears-Jennings, who I wrote about earlier in the week as needing to make a bigger impact in that phase of the game. The safety forced a block-in-the-back penalty while screaming downfield as a gunner in punt coverage, where his athleticism has a real chance to shine. 4. RB3 remains a mystery Do you want to know who’s had a surprisingly quiet preseason? Rookie seventh-rounder Eli Heidenreich. That’s not even to say he’s been bad — although he did lose quickly in a pass protection rep leading to a sack on Friday — just that he only carried the ball twice, still gaining nine yards, against the Jets. Against the Packers last week, he saw a solid nine carries, but only managed a 2.3-yard average. He hasn’t had the opportunity to make a single reception or return yet this preseason, either. Elsewhere in the running back depth, the Steelers’ coaching staff more or less flipped the hierarchy from last week, giving Kaleb Johnson (10 carries for 39 yards) the most run, with Lew Nichols (three carries for 11 yards) and Travis Homer (not a single catch nor carry after starting against the Packers) seeing less playing time. Nichols looked like his usual solid self, and to be honest, when he subbed in for Johnson it looked like he was moving at a far more urgent speed. I’m still not as bearish on Johnson as the vast majority of Steelers fans, but the Iowa product’s lack of burst has become a real concern in the NFL. He was always seen as a running back who needs a runway to get going properly, but unlike the poster child for that style of play, Derrick Henry, Johnson hasn’t shown off much tackle-breaking ability thus far, and hasn’t seemed to reach a threatening top speed, either. Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders reported that Johnson was supposed to get some work on special teams in kickoff coverage Friday night, which would add to his resume, but Pittsburgh simply didn’t score enough to give him a meaningful number of reps in that category. Ultimately, I think Homer’s workman-like versatility still probably gives him the edge in the battle for RB3, but the competition remains wide open behind starters Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Steelers give Heidenreich an opportunity to show off more next week, not just as a runner but also a receiving option and on special teams. RB3 may not seem like the most interesting position on the roster right now, but the Steelers are only one missed game from Warren or Dowdle away from a name such as Johnson or Homer becoming a notable contributor on offense. 5. Odds and ends - The offensive line putting together another poor performance was certainly one of the top storylines from this game. I just didn’t give it its own header as I don’t have much to say that I didn’t already write in last week’s column. That said, while the starting lineup doesn’t look up to snuff at this point, the concerns about depth might be a bit overblown. Rookies Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker were both high-pedigree investments in this year’s draft who didn’t play Friday, and both are expected to eventually fit in on the right side of the Steelers’ line, where the most concerns have been through two preseason games. - Back on the field earlier than most expected after a season-ending neck injury in 2025, I doubt Broderick Jones is truly 100%. That said, the product he put on the field Friday night — struggling, even deep into a preseason game — was not that of a potential starter or even swing tackle. Dylan Cook is almost assuredly locked into the right tackle role to open the regular season, and Iheanachor can’t get healthy fast enough. - For yet another game, the Steelers’ offensive passing concepts seemed to be relying on in-breaking routes, especially intermediate ones, far more than the past few years. It’s been a fun development to watch. - The Steelers’ starting defensive line in base 3-4 (minus Cam Heyward, of course) had Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon at defensive end and Yahya Black playing nose. - Doneiko Slaughter has been solid starting in the slot, and might deserve more mention in roster conversations if Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols continue to miss time. But I still have a hard time seeing him on the 53 unless another defensive back surprisingly lands on injured reserve. - Roman Wilson is far from a bad athlete at wide receiver, but the mental side of his game still seems to be a notch or two below where it should be for a third-year pro. An impressive game from Germie Bernard next week would go a long way in shoring up some concerns about the overall depth of this wide receiver room entering the regular season. - One good thing to note is the Steelers cleaned up their penalties from last week. Just four for 30 yards this time around. - Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark made a savvy PR move when supporting his son, Jets defensive back Jordan Clark, Friday night by wearing no obvious team gear for either New York or Pittsburgh. In all seriousness, it’s a very cool moment for the Clark family. The way the Steelers’ Week 2 preseason game flipped the good vibes of Week 1 on its head wasn’t ideal for the team, but it does make Week 3 a more narratively interesting game than anticipated. Pittsburgh will next take the field against the Bills in Buffalo at 7 p.m. EST on Aug. 27. What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Jets? Agree/disagree with the ones above? 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