The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the season knowing their defense would need to carry a heavy load, and Week 1 proved no different. As Pittsburgh prepares to travel to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has a clear blueprint to force young quarterback Drake Maye into decisive mistakes.
New England’s offense stumbles into Week 2 coming off a costly opener where turnovers proved disastrous. While Maye remains a dynamic playmaker capable of driving downfield late in games, his recent decision-making under pressure reveals a troubling trend dating back to last postseason. Specifically, ball placement late in games has left the door open for opposing secondaries.
On a recent episode of the “Locked on Steelers”
podcast, host Christopher Carter welcomed guest Jenna Harner, and the two local beat reporters discussed how Graham could capitalize on Maye’s errors.
"When you looked at what he did last year and in some of those throws, some of the interceptions he had a season ago, a lot of them were overthrows," noted Harner. "Where you look at the two of the two before the last one on Wednesday night, those were some underthrown balls by Drake Maye. So I think in New England there's some concern here of like, 'hey, this is something that he's done kind of in these last sample size of games.'"
That lingering issue aligns directly with what Graham is building in Pittsburgh. The Steelers defense showed new structural coverage looks in Week 1, utilizing disguises to throw off pre-snap reads and jump passing lanes.
"I think that there's some different looks the Steelers are giving teams," Carter highlighted, noting that forcing takeaways "is obviously such a big part of this team's culture and something Patrick Graham is embracing."
If Pittsburgh’s defensive front can stymie New England’s ground attack and force Maye into third-and-long passing situations, Graham’s disguised coverage schemes will have every opportunity to capitalize on underthrown balls and secure crucial takeaways.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Can Patrick Graham's defense bait Drake Maye in Week 2?
