The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 32-25 on Saturday night to win their first preseason game of the year. Here are seven quick takeaways from the game.
Offensive line is a work in progress
The Steelers debuted their new-look offensive line and it was a bit of good news/bad news. The good news is this group played much more agressive than we saw last season. Really firining off the line and engaging in the run game. The bad news is pass protection is still a worry and needs work.
Anthony McFarland came to compete
With Najee Harris and Benny Snell out of the lineup, Anthony McFarland took advantage.McFarland led the team in rushing with 56 yards on seven carries. There’s no reason McFarland isn’t the team’s primary backup running back this season.
All 3 quarterbacks came to play
There wasn’t a bad performance out of any of the Steelers quarterbacks. All three guys looked poised, confident and sharp. The legend will be about how Kenny Pickett won the game but you can’t criticize any of these guys for how they played.
Steelers fans get a little classless
It was unfortunate to hear so many of the 49,000 Steelers fans in attendance booing quarterback Mason Rudolph. A strong case could be made Rudolph was the best Steelers quarterback on the field Saturday and you hate to see the crowd get ugly.
Arthur Maulet impressed
I’m not sure who the starting outside cornerbacks will be but Arthur Maulet has secured his spot as the team’s slot cornerback. Maulet showed the type of agression and physicality head coach Mike Tomlin demands of the position.
Rookie Mark Robinson had a big game
One of the best young defenders on Saturday night was rookie linebacker Mark Robinson. The converted running back was flying to the football and even showed off some pass rush skills on a strip sack late in the game.
Clean football wins games
The Steelers had two fumbles on Saturday but were able to recover both. The team also threw the football 37 times without a interception. This level of clean football in the preseason is great news.
