After an ugly performance last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers set their sights on the final preseason game before the regular season kicks off on September 11th. For a lot of players, this match-up against the Detroit Lions is the “can’t hold anything back now” audition. With the final cut deadline set on Tuesday at 4:00 PM EST, jobs for the next several months will be won or lost on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers are expecting to roll out more presumed starters this week with Cameron Heyward and Najee Harris both seeing some playing time, but the curtain is starting to close on other key position battles. Sunday could make or break the final depth chart heading into the regular season.
Steelers' Kenny Pickett gets ready at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Let’s take a look at some things we can look forward to when the Steelers take on the Lions.
MATCH-UPS AT A GLANCE
Offense: The Steelers offense was horrendous against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The primary catalyst of the lack of success fell on the shoulders of the offensive line. The poor offensive line play didn’t do anyone any favors, as Mitch Trubisky was forced out of the pocket almost every snap he took and Kenny Pickett was never able to gain a clean pocket during his touchdown drive. In addition, the offense was 3 for 11 on third down conversions and only averaged 1.7 yards per rush attempt. Needless to say, head coach Mike Tomlin was sure to call out the offensive line in the following meetings and is putting pressure on the group to get the job done against a gritty Lions’ defense featuring stud 2022 second-overall pick Aidan Hutchinson. The first match-up to watch is the continued development of the Steelers’ offensive line versus the Lions’ defensive front. While I’m not saying the Lions have one of the best defensive lines in football, the offensive line needs to head into Cincinnati on an upswing and will need to contain Hutchinson as a part of that.
Of course, all eyes will be on the final quarterback auditions on Sunday. Tomlin declared Trubisky as the starter earlier in the week with Pickett to follow and Mason Rudolph to finish off the game. Although Rudolph was the presumed incumbent for the starting quarterback position, Trubisky and Pickett have solidified themselves atop the depth chart and will look to make strong cases for the role in the regular season. In that time, trade rumors have swirled around Rudolph and he may be using this game as an audition for other quarterback-needy teams.
Trubisky has been ‘as expected’ in terms of production and hasn’t necessarily given the coaching staff a reason why he should not start. Meanwhile, Pickett has lit the field on fire in both of his games and has the highest quarterback rating amongst rookie quarterbacks so far in the preseason. Pickett will be looking to click with the offensive starters to make his case as the first rookie quarterback in Steelers history to start week one; and going against a Lions secondary that doesn’t feature top-tier talent, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so.
Steelers' Mitch Trubisky (#10) and Mason Rudolph (#2) get ready to play in Pittsburgh, PA | Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Finally, the final wide receiver roster spots are still up for grabs and will be heavily contended for. Wile Gunner Olszewski was impressive in the offense against the Seattle Seahawks, he seemed to have trouble getting started against the Jaguars and had an ugly fumble on a fourth-and-short play. However, Tyler Vaughns has continued his impressive preseason campaign and led the team in receiving yards last week with 56 yards on 4 receptions. We also can’t forget about the development of George Pickens. Pickens was fairly quiet last week hauling in a pair of short passes, but he’ll be seeing more reps on Sunday and will work on getting back on track. However, there is only room for one more name among the likes of Miles Boykin, Tyler Snead, Steven Sims, and Cody White, so expect some possible fireworks in the receivers’ play against the Lions.
Defense: The Steelers linebacker corps is still undecided and still has a lot to iron out. In the inside, although Myles Jack has been a beast in the middle of the field, his running mate is still undecided. Devin Bush doesn’t seem to have made any strides in the off-season in getting back to his 2019 self. With what we already know we are getting in Robert Spillane on the field, there is a lot to be desired in the middle of the defense; enter, Mark Robinson. As a 7th round rookie, Robinson has been better than anticipated in the defensive unit and is starting to make a name for himself as an instinctual, physical player. There are a number of similarities in Robinson’s skill set and what we remember in Vince Williams. Robinson is going to see a lot of playing time against the Lions and will be a man on a mission. He’s definitely going to be fun to watch in the preseason finale.
Steelers' Myles Jack (#51) gets ready to tplay at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA | Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
On the outside, we saw a relatively surprising cut last Tuesday in Genard Avery. Avery was signed as a free agent in the off-season and was looking to be that rotational player in situational downs and has a presumed backup to T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith. Now that Avery is no longer on the roster, this opens the door for Derrek Tuszka and Hamilcar Rashed Jr. Rashed Jr. has been a possible diamond-in-the-rough as he’s already made an impact in his preseason action and practice reps in his short time in Pittsburgh. Tuszka is continuing his growth behind Watt and Highsmith and is jockeying with Rashed Jr. for a spot on the final roster. While both players have a good chance of sticking in Pittsburgh, Sunday’s game will most likely decide who will be on the 53-man roster and who may find himself on the practice squad to start the season. Clearly, whoever can spend the most time in the Lions' backfield on Sunday will carry the upper hand heading into the final cut deadline.
PREDICTION
Even though this is a preseason game, this game is fairly meaningful in the grand scheme of things. With so many jobs on the line on both sidelines, there is going to be an amplified sense of urgency and attention to detail on every play. In terms of the final outcome, I think the Steelers’ quarterback play is going to save the day again in another tough fought game. Prediction, Steelers 27, Lions 23.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Another preseason outing, another guest cameo by the Steelers on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Last year, the Steelers squared off against the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game during their expose on the annual show. This year, the Lions are the featured team this preseason. There are going to be HBO cameras all around Acrisure Stadium on Sunday and the 'Pickett to Pickens' show may make its prime-time debut in the next episode. Hopefully, it will be them lighting up the Lions’ secondary and not falling on the sword of another putrid offensive line performance.
What are you watching for on Sunday? What do you think the final outcome will be? Let us know in the comments below!
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