Just like that, the preseason has come and gone for the Pittsburgh Steelers, capped by a 24-17 loss to the Detroit Lions Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.
The Steelers’ first-team offense put together a touchdown drive as did the backups. The defense looked rather solid in the first half, getting after the quarterback in a major way.
But per usual in the preseason, things fell apart in the second half with backups in the game, leading to some sloppy football. The Steelers ultimately blew a 14-0 lead to finish the preseason with an 0-3 record, going winless in the preseason for the first time since 2013.
Now, the attention shifts to final roster cuts this week and then the preparation for the regular season opener on the road Sept. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.
For now, let’s check out some grades from the preseason finale against the Lions.
QB — B+
A much better showing overall from the quarterbacks compared to last week against Buffalo.
It started off strong with a nice 32-yard strike from Russell Wilson to George Pickens to convert on 3rd and 11 on the opening drive. The line gave Wilson plenty of time, and he scanned and fired a dot to Pickens to move the chains.
Later, Justin Fields came in and had a nice 22-yard hook-up with tight end MyCole Pruitt over the middle on play-action, setting up another Steelers touchdown.
Third-string QB Kyle Allen even made some nice throws, connecting with Dez Fitzpatrick on a 59-yard gain and having perfect placement on a ball to Jaray Jenkins along the sideline that the young receiver couldn’t get a second foot down on.
John Rhys Plumlee got his first action of the preseason under center and ripped some throws, looking quite comfortable and confident out there. The only real knock on the QBs on the day was the strip-sack that Allen took leading to a Lions fumble recovery.
RB — B-
Najee Harris received just one carry, and he took it for five yards, putting a nice bow on his preseason.
Cordarrelle Patterson stole the show though. One play after taking a 2-yard loss, Patterson ripped off a 31-yard touchdown up the gut, getting the Steelers on the board on the first drive of the game. That was a familiar sight in an Arthur Smith offense.
La’Mical Perine found the end zone on the afternoon and had a nice 11-yard run as well, turning the corner and breaking some tackles in the process. He caught my attention for the second week in a row and might have earned himself the RB4 role if the Steelers decide to keep four backs.
Jonathan Ward and Daijun Edwards were very limited in their work, which has them likely ticketed for the practice squad.
Aaron Shampklin received seven carries and didn’t do much with them, gaining just 13 yards. But it was very noticeable how hard he runs all preseason. He might be a practice squad guy.
WR — C+
Dez Fitzpatrick all but punched his ticket to the 53-man roster with his 59-yard catch and run against the Lions. He ran a nice route, separated late and then made something more happen after the catch. He’s had a very solid training camp and preseason, and he capped it nicely as a receiver, showing what he can do.
Pickens made up for his 6-yard loss on a failed screen early in the game by winning down the field on his 32-yard catch, moving the chains on 3rd and 11. It was a good sign seeing him and Wilson hook up down the field.
Van Jefferson made a nice couple of plays, including a 13-yard catch to move the chains, taking a shot to the back in the process and showing off his toughness. Jenkins had a nice 17-yard catch, too, after not getting his second foot down earlier.
Quiet day overall for Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins, who combined for three catches for 19 yards. It will be curious to see what the Steelers do there.
TE — C
Pruitt had a nice play over the middle off play-action, moving the chains on the gain of 22 yards from Fields. It was a pretty play overall, one that looks very good when it’s all synced up.
Outside of that, only Connor Heyward had a target in the game. The Steelers have really kept the TEs under wraps in the passing game.
Hopefully things open up for the position through the air in the regular season. Just not a lot to go off here, leading to the average grade.
OL — C-
Things looked much better early, as Broderick Jones settled in again at right tackle and bounced back. Granted, it was against the Lions’ backups, but he looked much better than last week.
Isaac Seumalo and Zach Frazier combined on a great combo block to spring Patterson for his touchdown, too. It was perfect teach tape on how to work a combo block. Exactly how you draw it up.
Backups were really rough, though.
Spencer Anderson saw some action at right tackle and had a dreadful rep, leading to a sack on an inside move. Frazier had an early snap to Fields that he wasn’t ready for in shotgun, leading to a sack.
Tyler Beach had a false start penalty on a third and short forcing the Steelers to punt, and Joey Fisher cratered a drive on his own with an ineligible downfield penalty and then a false start.
Tackle Devery Hamilton was downright terrible. He was smoked off the line multiple times and allowed a sack of Fields and then a strip-sack of Allen later in the game.
DL — B
A lot to like here from some of the lesser-known guys.
Jacob Slade had a strong game in the second half, finishing with five tackles. He was consistently around the football making the tackle and even ran to the ball in space. Nice showing for him to close the preseason.
I loved what I saw from Isaiahh Loudermilk, even if he had trouble finishing plays at times. He was a force as a pass rusher, generating consistent pressure. He missed a sack when he jumped to try and bat a pass, but he won quickly on the rep as a pass rusher to get into that situation.
Montravius Adams just continues to produce any chance he gets. Adams was all over the place in the first half, making plays against the run. Any time he’s on the field, Adams is around the football. Very solid depth piece to have up front.
I loved what I saw out of Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi in limited action. They were constantly in the backfield putting heat on Hendon Hooker. Benton had half a sack, and Ogunjobi was in on the pile, too, though he didn’t get credit on the play.
Dean Lowry had a fumble recovery and a batted pass while DeMarvin Leal was around the ball quite a bit again and flashed as a pass rusher, getting credit for half a sack, too. Depth looks very solid up front.
LB — B+
Take a bow, Nick Herbig.
For the second preseason in a row, Herbig was unblockable. He flew around Saturday and made plays, finishing with two sacks, including a strip-sack that Lowry recovered. Head coach Mike Tomlin says they’re gonna find a role for Herbig, and hopefully that means he’ll play way more snaps this season than as a rookie.
Kyron Johnson had a nice day on the edge, too, finishing with three tackles. He was disruptive as a pass rusher and even held his own against the run. He feels like a lock for OLB4 right now.
Julius Welschof also had a very strong performance, recording a sack and playing with a red-hot motor throughout the game. He’s still very unrefined as a pass rusher, but man he plays hard and has found himself around the football quite a bit this summer. Intriguing piece to keep developing.
Marcus Haynes stepped up quickly after coming off the street this week, recording three tackles and being around the football in the right spot time and time again.
On the inside, Mark Robinson had another strong game, finishing with eight tackles. The guy is just always around the pile, constantly putting his face into the fire. I’m not sure if the roster has a spot for him due to the numbers game, but he had two strong preseason games to close the summer.
Jacoby Windmon and Luquay Washington both finished with four tackles each, and new signee Kyahva Tezino added three tackles, though he did have a horse-collar penalty in the loss.
DB — C
The Steelers held the Lions to just 203 passing yards, but there were plenty of concerns from the backup defensive backs.
While Cory Trice Jr. really looked good again, making a nice tackle for loss and triggering downhill to break up a WR screen, there were some concerning things from the rest of the secondary.
Zyon Gilbert led the Steelers with eight tackles, but he really struggled in off-man coverage. He gave up far too many in-breaking routes for easy completions, leading to those eight tackles.
Kiondre Thomas had five tackles in the loss and made a nice play flying downhill to nearly jump a stop route for a pick, but he couldn’t finish the play and overall wasn’t all that impactful in coverage.
Jalen Elliott had eight tackles and was around the football a lot. He feels like a safe bet for the practice squad. But he didn’t exactly do anything to make the Steelers think twice at safety on the 53-man roster.
Thomas Graham Jr. had some moments in the slot in the first half, but he didn’t do enough to truly grab hold of the starting job. Neither did Beanie Bishop Jr. in the second half. Both felt like losers in this one, unfortunately, with a starting job there for the taking.
Special Teams — C
It was nice to see Matthew Wright connect on his 26-yard field goal in the game. He was largely auditioning for other teams, but good to see him convert.
Punter Cameron Johnston continued to bomb balls away, but he was let down by his coverage units. The Steelers have a major issue at gunner. Darius Rush got a chance, and he promptly slipped and fell in space. Scotty Miller put his hat in the ring at gunner and very clearly looked uncomfortable. The Steelers need to find an answer there.
Pittsburgh also had issues in kick coverage. The Lions had returns of 37 and 31 yards on kickoffs, which is concerning. But there were bunch of guys out there for the Steelers who won’t be there in the regular season. Still, needs cleaned up.
Nice to see Plumlee rip off that 38-yard kickoff return, too. Such an intriguing, versatile chess piece. I hope he sticks on the practice squad.
