Steelers Now
The preseason has come and gone for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s safe to say that this low-scoring affair didn’t score very well on the watchability meter, but the good news is that the next time this squad takes the field, the result will actually count for something.
We had a few players flash potential, a couple others solidify their spots on the 53-man roster, while others struggled to gain their footing in this one.The most concerning news of the night was that rookie defensive end Derrick Harmon, who the team has been counting on to take a significant role from day one, was carted off with a knee injury.
Before we close the book on this chapter of the NFL calendar, let’s talk through some winners and losers from the preseason finale.
There’s a case to be made that Miller has boosted his stock more than any other Steelers player this summer, going from afterthought to essentially a roster lock over a month’s time. He got some early burn in this one and made quite the impact in the first half, hauling in three catches for 82 yards. His first reception was a nifty snag over the middle on a ball that was thrown well behind him. Lastly, he showcased his speed and flew past the entire Panthers secondary to set up a field goal heading into intermission. To further solidify his status, he was seen working as the gunner on the punt coverage team, a role that he occupied last year as well. The veteran shouldn’t feel nervous on Tuesday when roster cuts begin to surface.
With Aaron Rodgers sitting out the entire preseason, it’s given Rudolph a chance to take the reins of Pittsburgh’s offense, with his play declining week after week. Against a Panthers defensive unit composed entirely of backups, Rudolph never looked remotely comfortable in the pocket in this one, often letting eyes drop at the first sign of color. As a whole, the offense looked dead on arrival and sluggish. He threw a brutal interception in the first quarter, trying to hit the hi-cross versus cover-3 but he never saw the sinking curl/flat defender. If there’s one thing that we know about Mike Tomlin, it’s that he places a lot of value on ball control and winning the turnover battle. In the somewhat likely event that Rudolph does have to step in and play during the regular season, he’s going to have to take better care of the football.
Needless to say, the Steelers offense needed a spark after the first-team offense struggled mightily out of the gate in this one, and Thompson gave it to them. He was decisive, accurate, and aggressive when the situation called for it. The go ball down the left side off a double move was a sweet toss, and then the bomb right before halftime was an unexpected surprise that ended in some surprise...
