The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Carolina and came out the victors in their matchup with the Panthers, winning 24-16. Pittsburgh dominated on the ground in this one, running for 156 yards and three TDs. The defense came up big in the run game department as well, shutting down the Panthers’ rushing attack as the entire team mustered only 21 yards on the ground for the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky also played well in this game, completing 77% of his pass attempts for 179 yards. While the yardage total and no passing TDs may come off a little disappointing at first glance, Trubisky did a far better job protecting the football in this game compared to last week, throwing zero INTs and showed better decision making as he helped lead his team to victory on the road.
“It feels great,” Trubisky said regarding taking care of the football to the media Sunday during his post-game press conference which aired on the team’s YouTube channel. “The only thing I cared about today was winning, staying on the field, converting those third downs, and helping this team win. Though it was an emphasis all week, I know I could protect the football and that’s what I did today. So, I’m just proud of all the other guys for sticking together, believing in me, letting me lead us today and, coming away with the victory. So, it definitely feels good and it’s awesome.”
Trubisky was in the hot seat after last week’s loss against the Baltimore Ravens where he stepped in for Kenny Pickett who left the game with a concussion and proceeded to throw three INTs, effectively losing Pittsburgh the game with three separate turnovers inside Ravens’ territory. He came into this game splitting reps with Mason Rudolph throughout the week and reportedly had a short leash this week should he not take care of the football early on.
Trubisky never gave Tomlin a reason to pull him as he relied on the running game that dominated the LOS from start to finish in this game, completing the passes he had to keep the chains moving while also chipping in on Pittsburgh’s efforts on the ground, picking up nine yards and a rushing TD on a QB sneak.
Mike Tomlin was critical of Mitch Trubisky last week, stating that he can’t turn the football over and expect to win football games. That has been the mantra of Pittsburgh’s season to-date, and Tomlin commended Trubisky’s performance as he did his part by playing a mistake-free game as far as turnovers are concerned which proved to be enough for Pittsburgh to escape Carolina with a victory.
