In discussing his intent to go about the process of "fixing things" in response to the Steelers' Thursday Night Football loss in Cleveland, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham identified tackling, the Browns' two-minute drive for the game-winning field goal and the need to adjust due to player unavailability as areas that need to be addressed.
Outbursts of emotion, even those captured by the TV cameras, conversely, are encouraged.
"It was Week Four of the season," Graham explained. "We're getting to know these guys in the heat of the battle. I think I said it in one of my early press conferences, I wanted to see what would happen when adversity hit, just to see how we're going to react to it as a group, or respond to it, is a better word, as a group. It's bound to happen. People always talk about it's an emotional game, we're emotional people.
"I encourage the emotions. I want their full selves out there when they're playing. And then how do we direct that and funnel that? If there was a microphone on me every time or a camera on me every time I'm reacting up there in the box, I'm sure you guys would be wondering what the hell am I talking about? What am I upset about?"
Emotions were on display throughout what became a typically hard-fought battle with the Browns.
Graham maintained such exchanges will benefit the Steelers for having experienced them in such a setting.
"As we learn one another, going into Week Five, I think this has been a great learning experience," he continued. "I'm not trying to sugarcoat it. I'm not trying to make a bigger deal or a lesser deal of what it is. I know this, we talked about communication a lot. It's important that we build these relationships so that when stuff gets said, whether it's in the heat of the battle, that nobody's sensitive. That's the one thing I can appreciate and I hope they can appreciate from me, nobody's sensitive here. We deal with conflict head on and we'll get resolution in terms of how we're gonna go about fixing things on that field. Because that's the most important thing, and it requires emotion.
"I was trying to get them riled up before the game, too. The first two series I was real pleased. I was like 'here we go, this is what I've been looking for,' the way it started. And then we hit some adversity and it didn't finish the way we wanted. We gotta get to the bottom line of that and figure out how to avoid that turn down the road.
"With the men in that room and the confidence I have in them, the confidence I have with our coaches, the confidence I have in (head) Coach (Mike) McCarthy, I think this is gonna be a small thing. We're gonna learn from it, we're gonna move forward and it's gonna be constructive."
IN BOZ THEY TRUST: Kicker Chris Boswell went 1-for-2 on field-goal attempts in Cleveland and is 7-for-10 on the season (70 percent) after going 27-for-32 in 2025 (84.4 percent).
Boswell has hit on 87.2 percent of his attempts in his 12-year career.
"There's an urgency to get that rectified but I wouldn't list it as a concern," special team coordinator Danny Crossman assessed. "I'm not up at night worrying about Chris Boswell. But when we get on the field we have to get those points. It's not the start you want but I've had plenty of years where you miss a couple early and next thing you know, your kicker is making 26, 27 straight.
"Nobody works harder than Chris. Nobody understands his own mechanics, probably, better than Chris. I have no question it will get rectified. My urgency is getting it rectified as quick as possible because we need those points."
SEARCHING FOR CONSISTENCY: The Steelers scored a touchdown on their first drive in Cleveland and then two more in the fourth quarter, the second of which was capped by a two-point conversion that tied the game at 24-24 with 1:42 left in regulation.
But they didn't get enough done in between.
"Converting some third downs on that (first) drive certainly helped," offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said of the 17-play, 78-yard march in 9:48 for the game's opening score. "The guys did a great job of sustaining. And then all of na sudden you look up and we had our third possession and we're almost done with the first half.
"Really, the disappointing part was the third quarter. The first half I thought we moved it well, we had some 'opps.' Then the third quarter, I think we had three three-and-outs and then, obviously, in the fourth quarter we got it going a little bit."
More consistency is the goal, starting this Sunday against the Colts.
"The consistency, the communication, everybody being on the same page, all those things that go into playing a clean football game," Angelichio said. "We know it's never gonna be perfect but we're striving to get better, to work on the details.
"Anything we can do to improve is what we're looking at, and that's something we have to do."
