While all three Pittsburgh Steelers preseason games will be aired on KDKA, fans not in the Pittsburgh market will have the chance to watch the Steelers’ preseason finale on Aug. 16 when they take on the Carolina Panthers. That will be one of 21 preseason games aired on NFL Network, according to a tweet by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
While the third preseason game used to be more of a tune-up for the regular season when the NFL had four preseason games, with just three after the league switched to a 17-game schedule, it’s usually a game where backups and bottom-of-the-roster players get their last chance to prove they deserve to make the team. For the Steelers, it could be a game where we see a heavy dose of rookie quarterback Will Howard, a player a lot of fans will have their eye on during the preseason.
It’s an intriguing matchup, going up against a young Panthers team that looked to find signs of life toward the end of last season under second-year quarterback Bryce Young en route to a 5-12 finish. The team added to its offensive arsenal by drafting Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan in the first round, and the Panthers are looking to be a sleeper team in the NFC and make some noise in the NFC South.
Pittsburgh’s third preseason game last year also aired on NFL Network, a 24-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Steelers did play both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson in that game, as the team rotated in all four quarterbacks, with Kyle Allen and John Rhys-Plumlee also getting playing time for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers went 0-3 in the preseason last year, but it didn’t affect them once they got into the regular season as they marched out to a 10-3 start. While ideally they avoid a winless preseason again this year, the three games are all about development and the results matter less than the individual performances.
It’s a good chance for Pittsburgh’s rookies to acclimate to the NFL, and the game against Carolina may be the first chance for a lot of fans to get their eyes on players such as Howard, Derrick Harmon and Kaleb Johnson. It will be Pittsburgh’s last in-stadium experience before roster cutdowns too, and players will be looking to state their case to be on Pittsburgh’s opening 53-man roster.
