The Steelers were shut out 17-0 by the New York Jets on Friday night at Acrisure Stadium, a preseason result that mattered less for the scoreboard than for the evaluation process unfolding around the roster. With the team trimming from 90 players to a 53-man roster, the game offered another chance to assess depth, especially at quarterback.
Will Howard started for the Steelers and had two interceptions assigned to him in the loss. For a preseason game, that kind of performance is part of the larger picture: teams are not only trying to win, but also trying to sort out who can handle regular-season responsibilities and who is still fighting for a spot.
The shutout also stood out historically. The last time the Steelers were blanked before this game was the second game of the 2016 preseason, which makes Friday night a notable outlier even in August football. The result did not affect the standings, but it did add another data point for a staff managing one of the league's most important late-summer tasks.
What it means for the Steelers
The most immediate takeaway is that the Steelers are still in evaluation mode. Preseason games are designed to help coaches and personnel staff sort through the back end of the roster, and that process is especially important when the group must go from 90 players to 53 before the regular season begins.
Howard's start gave the Steelers another look at their quarterback depth, which has become one of the clearer preseason storylines. The offense did not produce enough to avoid the shutout, but the game still served its purpose as a checkpoint before the next round of roster decisions.
The schedule leaves little time to dwell on it. The Steelers are set to open the regular season against Atlanta on Sunday, Sept. 13, and the final stretch of the preseason will be about turning these evaluations into decisions.
