The Pittsburgh Steelers concluded their preseason with a 19-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The game was marked by an injury to first-round draft pick Derrick Harmon, who suffered a knee sprain in the first half. Coach Mike Tomlin addressed the situation after the game.
“Had a couple of injuries of note,” said Tomlin. “Derrick Harmon’s got a got a knee sprain of some description. He’s being evaluated. Brandon Johnson’s got foot injury of some description. He’s also been evaluated.
“Those are two significant injuries, some other bumps and bruises associated with play, but nothing of note at this point other than those two.”
Harmon was carted off the field but returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter and sat on the bench with teammates.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph started for the Steelers, completing six of eight passes for 36 yards and one interception before being replaced by Skylar Thompson. Thompson completed 11 of 13 passes for 152 yards, threw one touchdown, and finished with a quarterback rating of 141.0. Logan Woodside closed out the game under center, going four-for-six for 38 yards.
Rookie kicker Ben Sauls contributed significantly by making four field goals, including one from 50 yards.
Penalties were an issue for Pittsburgh throughout the game; they were flagged 13 times for a total of 104 yards.
“It’s good to get a win,” said Tomlin. “There was some good. There’s a lot of things that you don’t like to be quite honest with you. I thought we were highly penalized. We turned the ball over there early. The tackling was shaky at best at times. I think they had 100 yards rushing at the half and that’s just kind of indicative of how poor the tackling was at times.
“So, we’ve got some things to work on, but it’s going to do that with the victory. That’s why you step into stadiums, to win.
Really happy for Ben Sauls. The work he was able to show us tonight, good for him.”
Unlike earlier preseason games, more starters saw action against Carolina, especially in the secondary as Tomlin sought improved communication before regular season play begins. However, most starters played only briefly before being substituted out.
Five players were ruled out ahead of time: quarterback Aaron Rodgers, receiver DK Metcalf, guard Isaac Seumalo, linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive end Cameron Heyward.
The Steelers’ opening drive began at their own 20-yard line after a penalty on Quindell Johnson negated Kaleb Johnson’s kickoff return yardage gain.
On offense, new additions running back Jaylen Warren and tight end Pat Freiermuth made their preseason debuts alongside Rudolph. Early penalties hindered progress; center Zach Frazier’s holding call set up a difficult first series which ended in recovery after Warren fumbled but Roman Wilson maintained possession.
Defensively, Pittsburgh forced Carolina into settling for an early field goal despite several big plays from Panthers running back Trevor Etienne and others.
Turnovers played a role throughout; James Pierre intercepted Jack Plummer in the end zone during one Panthers drive while Lathan Ransom picked off Rudolph earlier in the second quarter.
Skylar Thompson led an efficient scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass to Lance McCutcheon before halftime; rookie kicker Ben Sauls added three more field goals in later quarters as both teams traded stops and penalties slowed offensive momentum.
The Steelers’ defense created opportunities through sacks and forced fumbles—rookies Jack Sawyer and Yahya Black recorded key plays resulting in turnovers or loss yardage for Carolina.
Pittsburgh will now look ahead to addressing discipline issues highlighted by penalties as they prepare for regular season competition.
For fans interested in following future games live or on-demand via mobile devices or streaming platforms, NFL+ offers access to local and primetime regular season matchups along with additional league content such as NFL RedZone and live audio coverage.
