The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon, 19-9, to cap off an undefeated pre-season. There were both high and low points as we head into a week that will see the roster shrink from 80 to 53 players.
Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
With plenty of starting positions, and even roster spots still to be determined it's very important for many of these players to have a good game. Even the slightest mistake could put a player on the chopping block. In the same thought process a single good play could be the difference for a player to make the roster or move up on the depth chart. With that being said, these are the winners and losers from the Steelers third and final preseason game.
WINNERS
1.) Mitch Trubisky - Quarterback
Trubisky is your Steelers starting quarterback for week one against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was not only efficient, but successful even with an offensive line that underperformed once again. He was 15/19 for 160 yards and a touchdown. The most impressive moments for Trubisky were on his last drive of the game and the team's final possession of the first half.
A holding penalty on Chukwuma Okorafor almost stalled the 2-minute offense, but Trubisky went on to hit four consecutive passes, highlighted by a 22-yard pass to George Pickens and 32-yard dime to Pat Freiermuth that set up a red zone opportunity.
Trubisky then found Steven Sims on the very next play for a 6-yard touchdown pass and solidified his role as the the team’s starting quarterback. He was extremely accurate and, other than a couple questionable decisions on the first drive, was all around solid.
2.) Cam Sutton - Cornerback
It was recently rumored that Sutton could be the final Steelers player to receive a contract extension before the season starts according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He played like he deserves it on Sunday. He had an interception at the beginning of the second quarter that led to a Steelers field goal and also came up with a huge stop on third down that led to a failed fourth down conversion from the Lions. Sutton deserves props for his mistake-free play Sunday.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
3.) Miles Boykin - Wide Receiver
Welcome to Pittsburgh! Boykin had a very good game on Sunday with three catches that went for 41 yards. He is great at attacking the ball and had a great 29-yard catch in the third quarter from Pickett. This was not an easy roster spot to win as Sims and Tyler Vaughns have played exceptionally well throughout training camp. Boykin, however, has the experience and ability to make a difference each Sunday. His play against the Lions is almost certain to earn him a spot on the team's 53-man roster.
LOSERS
1.) Steelers Entire Offensive Line
You had to see this one coming, right? It was so hard to watch on Sunday afternoon and if Ben Roethlisberger were still back there with a lack of mobility, it could have been even uglier. The stat sheet won't show the poor play from the big guys up front as Trubisky had a great first half, but the line had a plethora of penalties and the rushing attack was almost nonexistent once again.
The Steelers will not be contenders of any sort if there isn't some kind of adjustment made soon. Dan Moore Jr. had two early holding penalties, Okorafor had his in the second quarter and Kendrick Green got flagged for holding on his first drive of the game in the second half. Don't let the points surprise you, it was a very poor performance overall.
Steelers offensive tackle, Dan Moore Jr. | Credit: ordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
2.) Mason Rudolph - Quarterback
Rudolph only saw one series of action after Trubisky went the whole first half and Kenny Pickett played the majority of the second. In his sole drive, he was 0/3 and after five plays, the Steelers were punting. Rudolph now sits at the bottom of the depth chart and has no hope of becoming the team's starting quarterback. The best outcome for the veteran is to be traded and compete for a backup spot. The worst case is him sitting on the sideline and seeing himself on the inactive list every weekend for the Steelers in 2022.
3.) Benny Snell Jr. And Anthony McFarland - Running Backs
The Steelers could move on from one of these running backs after un-drafted rookie, Jaylen Warren was the second running back to come into the game against the Lions. That is not a good sign for the two other running backs as one of them most likely won't be kept as fourth on the depth chart. Warren didn't impress on Sunday, but neither did the other two and the organization is more likely to invest in the a younger option who has showed plenty of potential as of late.
4.) Kickoff Team / Danny Smith
This has been more of an issue for longer than people realize. If it weren't for a couple of penalties on the Lions, the Steelers opponent would have had three consecutive kick returns of 30 yards or more to begin the game. Danny Smith's group was in the bottom five of the NFL last season, allowing 1,100 total kickoff return yards. With a young offense and questionable run defense, field position will be crucial to the team's success. The Steelers need to fix the weakness in this area and get away from the poor play the past few years.
To add insult to injury, the kick return team allowed the Lions to recover an on-side kick with 30 second left in regulation.
Who are your winners and losers from the final pre-season matchup? Let us know in the comments below!
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