Behind the Steel Curtain
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 preseason is officially complete, as the Steelers finish exhibition play 2-1 with a 19-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
The early story of the game was how sloppy the Steelers were on both sides of the ball. Tackling was a major issue in the first half, as Carolina was able to move down the field comfortably against the Steelers’ starting unit. Penalties were also a major problem for both the offense and defense. On the first pair of drives, Pittsburgh had five penalties, finishing with 13 overall.
Running back Jaylen Warren also had individual struggles. He slipped on multiple plays and fumbled following a reception, though it was recovered by the Steelers. Mason Rudolph also threw an interception, which marks the second game in a row he has turned the ball over. And while the first half featured a lot of bad football, there were multiple standouts, as well.
Skylar Thompson put an exclamation point on what was an excellent preseason. He went 11-of-13 for 152 yards and a touchdown, his biggest play on the night being a 55-yard completion to Scotty Miller to set up a field goal in the final seconds of the first half. His touchdown pass was a 24-yard toss to Lance McCutcheon. Finishing with four passing scores over the preseason, Thompson has made a legitimate case to be the No. 2 quarterback. If he doesn’t make the Steelers’ 53-man roster, he’ll make another team.
Scotty Miller had a big game, as well, catching three passes for 82 yards, finishing exhibition play catching all nine targets that went his way.
The defensive star of the game was rookie defensive tackle Yahya Black. The Iowa product had a tremendous sequence of plays in the second half, recording sacks on consecutive plays, the second of which led to a fumble recovered by the Steelers and led to a field goal. Should Harmon have to miss any time, the Steelers can feel comfortable knowing Black has looked terrific this preseason.
The next time the Steelers take the field, it will be for real when they take on the New York Jets two weeks from Sunday and officially begin their journey through the 2025 season.
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