The Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out Thursday night by the Carolina Panthers in their 2014 preseason finale at Heinz Field, but according to Pro Football Focus, a few players turned in positive individual performances on both sides of the football.
On offense, left guard Chris Hubbard (1.9), right tackle Marcus Gilbert (1.4) and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (1.3) all graded out well, according to PFF. It should be noted, however, that Gilbert only logged 10 snaps of playing time in the game before being replaced by Guy Whimper (-1.7), who was charged with giving up one of the six sacks on the night.
On the other end of the spectrum, right guards Will Simmons (-5.7) and Graham Pocic (-3.8) both had miserable showings. Pocic, who replaced Simmons in the fourth quarter, was pulled after seven snaps after being penalized twice. Simmons, who gave up two sacks in the game, was then forced to play the final six offensive snaps of the game.
On defense, it’s not surprising that linebacker Jarvis Jones (2.0) graded out the best against the Panthers as the former first-round draft pick was excellent against the run in the 28 snaps that he played.
Cornerback William Gay (1.3) also played well in his limited playing time, according to PFF,
Defensive end Ethan Hemer (-2.2), who will likely be waived sometime Saturday, had the lowest grade on defense for the Steelers with most of his negative score being attributed to his play against the run on the left side.
