Pittsburgh Steelers: Knee jerk reactions over win over Panthers
By Mike Morris
The Pittsburgh Steelers showed no mercy in their win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Carolina Panthers down so bad Thursday night at Heinz Field that backup quarterback Josh Dobbs came in on mop-up duty with double-digit minutes left in the fourth quarter. Here are some quick-to-mind thoughts on the 52-21 win, their fifth in a row.
First Half (written at halftime)
It was a “get called for delay of game on a punt” kind of night for Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers, which is a good way to start a Steelers recap. It didn’t start out that way, as the Panthers’ first drive went all the way down the field on the back of running back Christian McCaffrey, who topped it off with a 20-yard reception for the first score of the game. It would be their last until late in the second quarter, but nerves set in early about the Steelers defense’s sluggish start.
After Ben Roethlisberger connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster to the tune of a 75-yard touchdown, Vince Williams quieted fears about how Cam Newton and McCaffrey marched down the field minutes prior by picking off a hurried Newton and taking the ball to the house to take a 14-7 lead.
James Conner, in an unusual situation for him, without a rushing yard despite the Steelers having a lead, came to play on Pittsburgh’s third drive and entered the scoresheet, and lead-footed Antionio Brown burned the Panthers’ secondary to put the Steelers up 31-14 at the half.
McCaffrey has two receiving touchdowns, surely reminding Steelers fans of the days when they had a running back that could also catch, but these things are sure to happen when you’re up against Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey. Both sides of the ball have performed admirably enough (three touchdowns for the offense, a pick six, forced fumble, and three sacks for the defense) that it doesn’t really matter, and the Steelers lead 31-14 at halftime.