
After a fantastic Week 1 in the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves on the other side of the spectrum against the Packers.
The Steelers provided another night of high scoring and entertaining plays. Unfortunately, the Green Bay Packers had a similar plan. The night ended with a 51-34 victory in favor of the pack, however the loss gave Steeler Nation a few things to get excited about before September 9th.
Pittsburgh had 370 total yards, 151 of which came on the ground. They forced a fumble, but also threw two interceptions. They racked up three total sacks and finished with almost 28 minutes of possession. Besides the scoreboard, the Steelers actually played a pretty decent game. So which members of the Black and Gold took advantage of the exhibition? Here are 5 who clearly made an impact.
James Conner
Le’veon Bell who? The drama between Pittsburgh and one of the league’s best running backs has engulfed this team since their playoff loss to Jacksonville. Questions surrounding the offense and whether or not they actually look like a playoff contender will remain until Le’veon returns. Enter James Conner, the second year back from Pitt. The young gun took to center stage and gave us quite the performance. Conner rushed for 57 yards on five attempts and scored his first NFL touchdown in the process. The kid even did his best beast mode impression.
If that beauty wasn’t enough for you, his 26-yard touchdown run was equally impressive. At the end of the day, everyone around the league knows Bell returns before Week 1 and will (hopefully) pick up right where he left off last season. Until then, its very comforting knowing that our depth at the position is filled with talent, backed by the Steeler mentality of “the next man up”.