The Steelers completed their preseason showing against the Lions, and here are some winners and losers from the game.
The Steelers have finished up their preseason games, and now the focus is on which players will ultimately make the roster. While the majority of names are locks already, there was still a lot up for grabs in this game. Thus, the winners and losers list could have big roster implications for the remainder of this team.
This game was seen as a tune-up, so the starters all got a little bit of action early. The results weren’t bad, as the offense moved the ball well and the defense held their own. The backups were a little less encouraging, but the end result was still a win. With all of that said, here are the winners and losers from the Steelers final preseason game against Detriot.
Winner: A new face in Steelers secondary
Elijah Riley was added with relatively low fanfare about a week ago. Claimed off waivers from the Jets, Riley is a versatile safety that is a jack-of-all-trades type of player. He showcased that skill in this game, as he was serviceable against the pass and was a decent tackler in space. For a guy fighting for a roster spot, he held his own.
Damontae Kazee is headed to IR after this game with a wrist injury, and that is the real reason why Riley is sitting in a good spot now. He looked good in his lone Steelers preseason game, and that may be enough to keep him on the roster for this season. He landed in a surprise opportunity, but don’t be surprised to see him stick around this year for the team.
Losers: The run defense
A common problem from last season was the inability to stop the opposing rush attack. Every game this defense was getting gashed by backs, and it was a killer for this team as a whole. One of the primary goals this offseason was to fix that, and that certainly wasn’t on display against the Lions, as they ran with relative ease.
To be fair, when all of the starters were playing the Lions struggled more to run the ball. That is to be expected, but the moment the backups took the field, the run contain fell apart. If the Steelers lose any of their starters, this defense could quickly revert back to its previous form. It wasn’t an inspiring game for this unit.
Winner: A tight end is ready to take a leap
I have been all aboard the Pat Freiermuth hype train this offseason and for good reason. The rookie tight end was insanely productive, and history says he should be set up for a great second season. He has looked the part in limited fashion during the preseason, as he has been a favorite target of the quarterbacks.
Once again, Freiermuth looked good this week. Even better was the fact he is being targeted more downfield. I’m not kidding when I say there is top-five tight end upside in the second-year player right now. While this offense will have plenty of limitations, it seems as though whoever is throwing passes will have a safety valve in Freiermuth.
Losers: The offensive line
I don’t care that this unit was “improved” from the previous week, the line is still the main weakness on this team, and it isn’t even close. The running backs had no holes to run through and the pressure was still in the face of the quarterbacks. This group has looked bad all throughout the preseason, and things didn’t improve in this final showing.
Shoutout to Dan Moore who once again looked like he has regressed heading into his second season. Despite some positives out of camp with him, his game film has been lacking. The Steelers need to do something here, as they can’t enter the season expecting this offense to produce when the line is playing like this.
Winner: Our new starting quarterback
While it isn’t a surprise that Mitchell Trubisky is the favorite to be the starting quarterback, he was a player that seemed to fade down the stretch in the offseason. He was very up and down early in camp, and Kenny Pickett was certainly giving him a run for his money. All of that ended this week as Trubisky looked ready to go against the Lions.
He pushed the ball down the field, made a handful of nice passes, and completed the team’s only touchdown of the day. Does he have his flaws? Sure, but Trubisky is the smartest option for week one of the season. Pickett will get his shot, but that will have to come later due to Trubisky’s solid game.
The Steelers final preseason game put a lot of the roster in perspective. While there are still a few question marks, a lot of the team has produced well. Keep these winners and losers in mind as the team gets set to trim their roster and get ready for the season.