The Steelers defeated the Cardinals by a final score of 23-17. Here are Pittsburgh’s winners and losers from their west coast victory.
The Steelers didn’t get out to a sluggish start in this one. After an early field goal and a terrific 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter, Pittsburgh held a 10-0 lead.
However, Mike Tomlin’s team didn’t exactly cruise to victory on the road this week. While the Cardinals technically never had the lead in this one, they came very close at times and were aided by some head-scratching calls from the Steelers coaching staff.
Still, it was another strong performance highlighted yet again by a stellar Pittsburgh defense. Here are my winners and losers from the Steelers 23-17 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.
Winners:
Bud Dupree
Bud Dupree has been stepping up his game just about every week this year. From the start of the Cardinals game, he was off like a rocket – collecting 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and a sack in the first half. Dupree is having a career year and is turning out to be an excellent complement to Defensive Player of the Year candidate, T.J. Watt. He could see a big payday this offseason.
Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson had a rough game against the Browns last week – catching just 1 of 5 targets for 14 yards. However, he got off to a brilliant start against the Cardinals on Sunday – catching 6 of 8 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of Johnson’s performance was an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half that gave Pittsburgh a 10-0 lead to open the game.