The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their preseason schedule in the form of a 34-9 loss against the Carolina Panthers. This loss was a rather abrupt ending to an otherwise optimistic preseason. With this being the final weekend before the final cuts towards the 53-man roster, fans were looking to see who would rise to the top of the depth chart and who would fall. We already saw several players get released earlier this weekend and we’ll see another 16 before the deadline on Tuesday. With that said, let’s take a look at what transpired this weekend in Charlotte and what we can expect going into this week.
OFFENSE
Fans were eager to see Dwayne Haskins get the start on Saturday and see what he could do. As it turns out, it wasn’t much. Although the bulk of the Pittsburgh starters sat out, we still expected something against the Carolina starting defense. The Haskins-led offense didn’t score the entire first half and resulted in 4 punts and an interception. Haskins took a step back in a game where he was primed to accel. After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin explained, “Like the rest of us, I didn’t think it was enough varsity work from him. It wasn’t the type of performance he wanted or we wanted, but such is life.” Looking at the offense has a whole, there wasn’t much more to cheer about. The offense gave up possession twice and was 2 for 11 on third down. Between the turnovers, the third-down efficiency, and a 23:46 total time of possession, this was an ugly way for fringe-players to make a last-minute case for themselves. It will be an anxious 48-hours for Josh Dobbs, Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell Jr., Rico Bussey, and Cody White.
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DEFENSE
Unlike the offense, the defense started the game well. Although we didn’t see the majority of the starters on the field, the second team held the Carolina starters at bay for the good part of the first half. But then once the game fatigue set in, primarily due to the fact the offense couldn’t maintain possession of the ball, we saw messy tackling, poor coverage, and an overall sloppy performance. In a game where fans and coaches were looking for the next nickel cornerback, the depth at inside linebacker, and the depth at safety, we didn’t see any of it. One name in particular who took a step back on defense was Robert Spillane. After a great 2020 season, fans were excited to see him develop in 2021. However, we saw quarterbacks go 10 for 13 against Spillane’s coverage, resulting in 119 yards, nine first downs, and a touchdown allowed. This was possibly his last game in the black and gold and was a fitting end to his sub-par preseason. Some other names on the hot seat going into the final cuts are Ulysees Gilbert III and Justin Layne.
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SPECIAL TEAMS
If there is any positive to come out of this weekend, it was that we were able to see a lot of rookie punter Pressley Harvin III and veteran Jordan Berry duke it out one last time for the punter position. While Pressley III seemed to have the edge throughout camp and the previous preseason games, Berry really stepped up. Each punter had four punts in the game. Berry averaged 43.8 yards per punt with one inside the 20-yard line and a long of 55 yards. Harvin III averaged 42.3 yards per punt with one inside the 20-yard line and a long of 48 yards. This has been a battle a lot of fans have been watching and it is coming to the end on Tuesday. In my opinion, it will be Harvin III that will earn the roster spot. On a final note, fans saw Mathew Sexton’s name on the first set of cuts not even 24 hours after the Carolina game. Although Sexton had bright spots as a return man in the previous games, he looked awful in his final appearance, which included an ugly fumble on a punt. What looked like to be an unexpected battle for the returner position with Ray-Ray McCloud, ended up fizzling out. We can expect to see McCloud regain his return-man role in 2021.
It is definitely going to be an anxious next two days. This is always the part of the preseason that coaches and players dread. Unfortunately, the players who needed to have a big game to earn a roster spot fell on their faces and there is a lot to be determined this week. Stay tuned for when the final 53-man roster is announced!
What are your final thoughts of the preseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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