Sunday, as Pittsburgh moved to 6-2 and gained sole possession of first place in the AFC North. The Steelers’ defense has come alive over the last month, thanks to their new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham.
CBS Sports ranked the NFL’s best new coordinators at midseason
, and Graham earned the number two spot overall on the list.“The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has come back to life under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham,” Garrett Podell writes. “They’re the league’s No. 3 scoring defense (18.0
points per game allowed), No. 6 total defense (305.6 total yards per game allowed), No. 3 run defense (83.9 rushing yards per game allowed), No. 8 third down defense (34.3% third down conversion rate allowed), No. 2 red zone defense (37.5% third down conversion rate allowed), and tied for No. 3 in takeaways (13).”
“Having All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt turning back the clock also helps. After he had just 7.0 sacks in 14 games last season, Watt has 7.5 in eight games this season, which is tied for the league lead with Houston Texans All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. No team has more sacks in the NFL than Graham’s unit’s 26, one more than the Brian Flores blitzkrieg Minnesota Vikings attack. ”
“The Browns were flying high entering Week 8 with a 5-2 record, but they left Pittsburgh 5-3 after a 27-6 defeat in which the Steelers held them to both season-lows in points (6) and rushing yards (34). Graham is crushing it.”
Graham was behind only Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on the list. Graham joined the Steelers staff after spending the previous four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Las Vegas Raiders. Graham’s zone-heavy defense has done wonders for the unit. Take this past weekend, for example, as the team recorded eight sacks against Cleveland.
The Steelers can finally say they once again have an elite defense to help them in their playoff push as they enter the second half of their 2026 campaign. With Graham in charge and the abundance of talent on the unit, it seems like the Steelers are destined to have their first top-10 scoring defense since the 2023 season. Graham deserves all of the praise he is getting from the media.
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