Steelers unsung heroes during preseason game vs Seahawks

The Steelers left the stadium with a win after their first preseason game concluded and these players were big contributors. 

The first game of the Steelers 2022 preseason schedule has ended. It is always nice to win a game, even if it is a contest that does not count. Many players had some nice outings for Pittsburgh as they willed their way to a 32-25 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

The offense for the black and gold was the expected highlight for the team heading into the stadium. That trend turned out to be a reality as the game progressed and concluded. The offense had many different starters hit the field as the defense withheld many of their star contributors.

Tre Norwood outplays the competition in Steelers secondary

This player has not been getting a lot of attention at training camp, but he showed out during the game. He was thrown at four times during the contest and allowed zero completions. A couple of those passes were defended in the red zone. He arguably had the best game by one of the defensive players. Norwood should be able to take a nice step forward in year two as his role is expected to potentially expand with the club.

Mark Robinson made a big play to allow Kenny Pickett to redeem himself

Many people will remember the play that won the Steelers the game by the throw of Kenny Pickett. That play does not happen after Kenny Pickett was sacked and turned the ball over on downs, which gave the Seahawks great field position to win the game. Robinson got a free rush to the quarterback and stripped the ball. This allowed Pickett a chance to redeem himself and it led to the game-winning play. The rookie linebacker did not have a great game overall, but a splash play like this will make a lot of mistakes become more palatable.

Gunner Olszewski put on a clinic during the first drive for the Steelers

The majority of the first drive was a multitude of factors on offense. Those factors mostly included the efforts of Anthony McFarland Jr., George Pickens, and Gunner Olszewski. This receiver had a couple of catches that kept the drive alive and even had the first touchdown for the Steelers this preseason.

Olszewski did not get work in the return game, but it was nice to have him show his ability at the receiver position. He is fighting for the last receiver spot and needs to show more at his position than just on special teams and he took a step in the right direction with this performance.

Anthony McFarland finally showed some life as a running back

Anthony McFarland has been highly scrutinized since he has not produced much since being drafted by Pittsburgh. For one reason or another, things just have not been clicking for this player. Things seemed to be different during the game as he made nice cuts and created explosive runs. He has been producing during practices at training camp so this might be a surprising year for him. If he can play like he did on Saturday, he will be a contributor on offense in 2022.

James Pierre looked like a solid cornerback for the Steelers

James Pierre is another player that many have not held in high regard for some time now. He was expected to be the next Mike Hilton type of corner for the Steelers but that has not materialized. Pierre had a rough go of things when he started for this defense. The hope is that he will turn things around this season and at least become a reliable depth piece at cornerback. Some days, this player looks like a starter, and other days he struggles to keep up. He needs to find some consistency to last in this league.

The Steelers had a lot of players that performed well in the victory over the Seahawks. Some of those prime performances have flown under the radar while others get most of the accolades.