I'm going to say something that's going to sound unhinged if you only saw the scoreboard Friday night. But hear me out. Don't panic.
The Steelers got shut out 17-0 by the Jets at Acrisure Stadium. It was the first time they've been blanked in the preseason since 2016. Will Howard threw two interceptions. Drew Allar never found a rhythm. The running game averaged 3.8 yards a carry, and no receiver finished with more than 32 yards. On paper, that's an ugly night. And I'm telling you it still doesn't matter, and I can back that up with the actual lineup, not just vibes.
Start with who wasn't out there. Aaron Rodgers didn't play. Mason Rudolph didn't play. On defense, Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and Jaquan Brisker all watched from the sideline. That's not a roster, that's half a starting lineup. If you walked into Friday expecting that group to light up the scoreboard, you were going to be disappointed no matter what happened.
What Friday actually was, was an audition. McCarthy handed the keys to Will Howard and Drew Allar and told them to show him something. Howard threw two picks, and here's the part that matters, both of them came on drives that had already reached Jets territory. The first was in the red zone, picked by Andre Cisco and returned 23 yards. The second came from the Jets' 37 yard line, snagged by Samuel Womack III. Those turnovers ended two drives that had real life in them, which is exactly what makes them frustrating and exactly what makes them fixable.
Howard didn't hide from it after the game, either. He called his own performance "not up to par" and said the interceptions were "a shame because those were both good drives." He even went back to the first rule of the quarterback room. "One of the first things we talk about is protecting the football," he said. "Got to be better and learn from it." That's a kid fighting for a roster spot who knows the problem. It's not a crisis. It's a teaching moment in August.
Here's the thing that should actually calm you down. The offense was moving the ball. Eight days ago this same unit hung 28 points on the Packers in a 28-9 win. The issue Friday wasn't that the scheme collapsed. It was detail and execution, which is literally what McCarthy said after the game. "The detail and execution wasn't as high." That's a coach describing a preseason game with his backup and third string quarterbacks, not a coach panicking about his football team.
And it's not like there was nothing to like. Elandon Roberts, signed just last week, looked like a man trying to earn a job. Four solo tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fourth down stop to force a turnover on downs. When asked about playing deep into a preseason game as a veteran, he grinned and said "I ain't lost it." Second year linebacker Carson Bruener added a sack. Rookie Kaleb Johnson ran for 39 yards on 10 carries, nothing flashy, but he's finding his legs. Those are the exact things you're supposed to be evaluating in August, and there was real stuff there.
The Jets side of this is worth keeping in perspective too. Geno Smith was perfect, 7 for 7 for 65 yards and a touchdown on his only drive of the night. He's a 13 year veteran making his first Jets appearance in nearly a decade, and the Steelers trotted out a defense missing its best pass rusher and both starting cornerbacks. Of course he looked comfortable. That's not a reason to freak out about the defense. It's a reason to remember what these games are actually for.
If you want a genuinely funny detail, here it is. The Jets went the entire 2025 season without a single interception, the first team to do that since the league started tracking it in 1933. Then Friday night they picked off two in one half. That's the kind of thing that only happens when a couple of young quarterbacks are pressing to make a play, which is precisely what Howard was doing.
The regular season opener is Sunday, September 13, against Atlanta. That's when Rodgers steps behind center, Watt and Heyward are back on the field, and the scoreboard actually means something. If they lay an egg that day, then we can talk. But a shutout in the second preseason game with your stars in street clothes is about as meaningful as a mock draft in February.
So yeah, the box score was gross. I'll give you that. But the only number from Friday that should actually bother you is the same one that should calm you down. Zero. As in, zero real snaps for Aaron Rodgers. The rest is just noise until the games count.
