The Jets rolled out Adonai Mitchell, who's been pushed as a No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson all camp, and he made an early impression with a 21-yard connection from Smith. Garrett Wilson himself was back after missing time with an illness. On the other side, Pittsburgh was already down DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr, both nursing hamstring issues, thinning out the group Howard had to work with — the kind of subtraction that mattered more than the modest home number suggested.
- QuestionableQwan'tez Stiggers (CB) — Stiggers (concussion) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.08/19
- QuestionableNahshon Wright (CB)
- QuestionableVJ Payne (S)
- QuestionableKenyon Sadiq (TE)
- QuestionableBreece Hall (RB)
- QuestionableMory Bamba (CB)
- QuestionableIsaiah Davis (RB)
- QuestionableD'Angelo Ponds (CB) — Ponds (calf) is nearing a return to the field according to head coach Aaron Glenn, Eric Allen of the Jets' official site reports.08/18
- Injured ReserveKingsley Jonathan (DE) — Jonathan (thigh) reverted to the Jets' injured reserve Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.08/20
- QuestionableMichael Pittman Jr. (WR) — Pittman's absence from practice that stems back to last week is due to a hamstring issue, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.08/19
- QuestionableDK Metcalf (WR) — Metcalf (undisclosed) said Wednesday that he's "fine" and isn't concerned about his status for Week 1, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.08/19
- QuestionableIsrael Mukuamu (S)
- QuestionableBrandon Smith (WR)
- QuestionableMax Iheanachor (OT)
- QuestionableJaquan Brisker (S)
- QuestionableBrandin Echols (CB)
- Injured ReserveLogan Lee (DT) — ir08/19
- Injured ReserveCole Burgess (WR) — ir08/19
None of that mattered much once the ball was snapped. Smith drove the Jets right down the field for a touchdown to open the game, and Pittsburgh's offense never found an answer. Howard threw two interceptions before giving way to Allar for the second half, and the Steelers' issues sending drives backward instead of into the end zone piled up fast.
A 17-0 shutout in a preseason game against a team playing its baseline quarterback is about as loud as an exhibition result gets. Pittsburgh's defense actually held up its end after the opening drive — DeShon Elliott, back from injury, forced a fumble and flashed the kind of playmaking the unit will need once games count. But a shutout is a shutout, and it's not the first impression McCarthy wanted from a home crowd.
Neither team's regular season is close enough to read into this one game — it's still a roster-evaluation exercise with real jobs on the line, particularly Pittsburgh's QB2 spot. But for a night, the Jets looked like the more buttoned-up operation, and the Steelers have some answering to do before the games start mattering.