The Steelers beat the Seahawks in their first preseason game, and here are the winners and losers from their first outing.
The Steelers officially opened their season against the Seahawks, and while there were plenty of ebbs and flows, the team ultimately got the win. While the first preseason game won’t determine a team’s entire season, there were a lot of pros and cons to consider from this first outing. It was a telling game, to say the least.
It was a surprisingly high-scoring affair, as both the Steelers and the Seahawks found ways to move the ball. There are plenty of players to praise, but there are also a few that are deserving of critique. It was a fun first game, and despite the highs and lows, here are the winners and losers from the Steelers first preseason game.
Most Steelers running backs shined in the first game
Despite the backup running backs being one of the biggest question marks on the roster, the group really seemed to shine. Carries were distributed evenly, and almost everyone shined. The highlight was Anthony McFarland, who averaged a healthy eight yards per carry and seemed to finally function well in this offense.
The rookies held up well. Jaylen Warren looked every bit of the effective and hard-nosed runner he has seemed to be in training camp. Master Teague, the newbie to the team, also looked like an effective runner. While there are still questions behind Najee Harris, most of the backups seemed to hold their own in this first outing.
All backups except Durant impressed
The lone exception to this was Mataeo Durant. The undrafted rookie out of Duke was one of the team’s lone bright spots on paper. He has the size and speed you want in a running back and can also catch passes out of the backfield. Injuries have slowed him down in camp, but there was hope that he could get some momentum in this first game.
This wasn’t the case though, as Durant was the least effective of all of the backs on the team. No matter what the reason was, Durant is now the least likely option left in a wide-open running back battle. He needed a good game to get his momentum back on track. That didn’t happen, and he is a clear loser from this first game.
George Pickens live up to expectations
I’ll be the first to say it: I thought George Pickens wasn’t going to live up to the hype in his first outing. This isn’t due to him not being a good player but succeeding on the practice field and succeeding in a game is a different story. Considering Pickens was limited in his final season, a slower start to his career wasn’t out of the question.
Meanwhile, Pickens lived up to the hype he had from camp. Sure, he didn’t have any gaudy stats, but he found the end zone and flashed the physicality that he was showing at camp. There is still a long way to go before he is seen as one of the best rookie receivers, but he lived up to the hype in his first outing.
The Steelers defense was less than stellar
The Steelers offseason agenda was clear. With a huge transition occurring at quarterback, the focus was to build up the running game and pay an elite defense. The offense was always going to be a work in progress, but the defense had to be top-notch in order for this team to have a chance at success.
Sure, a lot of the key players on defense didn’t play, but still, a relatively decrepit Seahawks offense still put up some big stats. Drew Lock looked like the real deal when he really shouldn’t have. Meanwhile, the Seahawks ran all over this defense in an eerily similar fashion to what happened last season.
Now, once this defense has all of its key players on the field at once, it should do a better job at stopping offenses. It was disappointing to see the backups play in such a poor fashion though. This defense needs to play better. If not, this season could really unravel.
Steelers quarterbacks stepped up
The biggest revelation from this first game was the good play of the quarterbacks. Despite a lot of ups and downs in camp, this group all played well in their first game. Mitchell Trubisky came out and led the offense effectively for the first few drives despite showing a lot of inconsistencies in camp.
Mason Rudolph was as expected, flashing a lot of consistency despite not making any huge plays. Important to note is the nice pass he had to Pickens for the score. Finally, Kenny Pickett looked far better on the field than he did in camp. Sure, he came in later than most players, but he still did a great job of leading this team to a win.
This competition should be a close one, and each player has plenty of reasons that they should start. This is a good problem to have, as there was a real chance all quarterbacks could have struggled in this game. Instead, everyone rose to the occasion and played well.
While the first preseason game won’t define the Steelers for the whole season, there was a lot to be excited about in this game. The winners should continue to get more opportunities. The losers, meanwhile, will need to prove themselves even more than before.