Steelers’ Mike McCarthy opens up on ‘teaching opportunity’ following loss vs. Jets
The Steelers head coach was frustrated by the play of his quarterbacks. Pittsburgh’s young play callers made mistakes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got beat in a NFL preseason game by the New York Jets on Friday. Pittsburgh failed to post a single point in the game. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is opening up about what the loss is giving to his team.
“We will have great ‘teaching film,’ ” McCarthy said of his team’s effort, per Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “and we’re a staff that loves to teach.
“I wish we would have been more productive today, but this is definitely an opportunity to grow.”
Pittsburgh’s young quarterbacks Drew Allar and Will Howard both struggled. Howard threw two interceptions in the game, while Allar took three sacks. New York won the game, 17-0.
“There will definitely more to clean up this week than last week,” McCarthy said. “That’s the reality of tonight.”
Pittsburgh looked very different than they did in their first preseason game, against the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers torched the Packers in the passing game in that contest. Allar looked very effective in his debut.
Against the Jets, Pittsburgh’s young play callers showed their inexperience. The two quarterbacks posted just 144 passing yards collectively. Steelers veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t appear in the game.
Howard is ready to learn and move on from this experience.
“The biggest thing is getting to the film and not letting these mistakes fester and not letting one or two mistakes turn into more,” Howard said.
Pittsburgh is now 1-1 in preseason games. The Steelers will play their final NFL preseason game on August 27 against the Buffalo Bills.
McCarthy is in his first season as head coach in Pittsburgh. He replaced Mike Tomlin, who stepped down at the end of the 2025 campaign.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got beat in a NFL preseason game by the New York Jets on Friday. Pittsburgh failed to post a single point in the game. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is opening up about what the loss is giving to his team. “We will have great ‘teaching film,’ ” McCarthy said of his team’s effort, per Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “and we’re a staff that loves to teach.