Pittsburgh’s reserves fail to capitalize in preseason finale
PITTSBURGH – After last Saturday’s preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike Tomlin said many of the Steelers reserve players looked like the “Walking Dead.”
On Thursday night against Carolina, many of them buried themselves.
The Panthers rushed for 226 yards and completely shut down the Steelers on offense, handing Pittsburgh a 23-6 defeat in the preseason finale.
Both teams played mostly with backups. The Steelers, who finish the preseason at 1-4, used just two starters – outside linebacker Arthur Moats and strong safety Shamarko Thomas.
Other than that, it was getting a final look at players battling for roster spots or possible playing time once the regular season begins next week.
Given what was at stake, the results were disappointing for Tomlin.
“We didn’t win the line of scrimmage either offensively or defensively,” Tomlin admitted.
Carolina (3-1) dominated the first half, taking a 17-0 lead on a 23-yard Graham Gano field goal, a 49-yard run by Jordan Todman and a 23-yard pass from third-string quarterback Joe Webb to receiver Marcus Lucas.
Webb’s touchdown pass came with five seconds remaining in the second quarter and capped a first half in which the Panthers outgained the Steelers, 285-39, with 156 of those yards coming on 24 carries.
Michael Vick, signed last week to back up Ben Roethlisberger, started at quarterback for the Steelers and completed 3-of-5 passes for 24 yards. He also was sacked three times as the offensive line consistently broke down.
The Steelers didn’t get on the scoreboard until reserve fullback Roosevelt Nix, a four-year starter at nose tackle at Kent State, set up a field goal attempt. Nix blocked a punt early in the third quarter and Pittsburgh took over at the Carolina 30.
“Fullbacks have to be able to do some other things and he’s been a consistent contributor in the kicking game,” Tomlin said of Nix. “And he had a splash play there tonight.”
The Steelers moved the ball to the Carolina 9, but Landry Jones, who entered in the second quarter for Vick, threw incomplete to rookie Tyler Murphy on third down and the Steelers settled for a 27-yard Josh Scobee field goal that trimmed the lead to 17-3.
Scobee was acquired in a trade with Jacksonville earlier in the week after Shaun Suisham and his replacement, Garrett Hartley, were each injured in preseason games.
Scobee later added another 27-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. He had three kickoffs in the game, all of which were kicked through the end zone for touchbacks.
“Not that I was surprised,” Tomlin said of what he saw of his new kicker. “He’s a known commodity in that area and we’re fortunate to have him.”
Jones had perhaps his best game of the preseason, completing long passes to rookie Sammie Coates for 42 yards to set up Scobee’s second field goal and 46 yards to rookie Jarrod West.
Jones completed 9-of-11 passes for 147 yards to account before leaving on the final possession after taking a big hit to the ribs from defensive tackle Chad Alecxih, a former Pitt star.
Odds and end zones
Inside linebacker Vince Williams had 10 tackles for the Steelers, all in the first half. … The Steelers had a rash of injuries to their offensive line on their final possession. Tackle Kelvin Palmer suffered a knee injury early in the drive, while center B.J. Finney (knee) and tackle Mitchell Van Dyk (ankle) were injured on the same play as the Steelers tried to get into the end zone from the 3. Pittsburgh took a knee at that point to allow the clock to run out. … The Steelers will likely trim their roster to 53 players today. All NFL teams must cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. Saturday.