Steelers winner: Pressley Harvin
On the other hand, the Steelers rookie punter Pressley Harvin III was an absolute force during the Hall of Fame game. He showed the ability to punt deep and directionally place the ball where it needed to be. His first punt stuck the Cowboys deep in their territory while another landed at right about the half-yard line. That wasn’t a case of a coverage unit guy tossing it out of the end-zone either, as the ball was bounced perfectly to land outside of the touchback zone.
Also extremely telling is that the Steelers didn’t play Jordan Berry in this game. While this doesn’t mean he won’t see snaps (he almost certainly will in the next game), it does indicate that the Steelers likely know what they have in him. They want to see what Harvin can do as they already know what Berry can do as a punter.
This means, to me at least, that the job is now Harvin’s to lose. Had he struggled in this game, the narrative would have been different, but he looked great. While Berry will continue to compete, it would take Harvin melting down for the team to likely roll with the veteran. Harvin looks like an experienced and dynamic punter. Considering the struggles that this team has had in regards to that position, his solid play was a major win.