The Pittsburgh Steelers began their preseason with a 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, a result that does not affect regular season standings but provided opportunities for less familiar players to make an impression.
Quarterback Skylar Thompson, previously considered fourth on the depth chart and largely unheralded during training camp at Saint Vincent College, led the offense with a completion rate of 71.4 percent for 233 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 132.0. He was instrumental in producing five passing plays of 20 or more yards and helped the team convert six out of nine third downs.
Several other players who were not expected to play major roles also contributed. Undrafted rookie Ke’Shawn Williams from Indiana and Max Hurleman, who did not have a set position at Notre Dame, made key plays. Running back Lew Nichols, listed sixth on the depth chart, carried five times for 31 yards on a crucial drive that ended with Williams catching a touchdown pass from Thompson.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith used quick passes and tempo to counter Jacksonville’s defense. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin focused on slowing down the Jaguars’ progress and limiting them to field goals rather than touchdowns.
Coach Mike Tomlin commented on the team’s performance: “It was really a good evening’s work,” said Tomlin. “We got put in a lot of situations and got a chance to watch people perform in them, a 2-minute drive before the half kind of highlighting some of that. I thought we did a nice job of not beating our own butt.
“We played a pretty clean game for a first time out. We gave a lot of people a lot of opportunities, and that’s what this is about. It was good to see some offensive players tackling on special teams, defensive players blocking on special teams. We’ll comb through that really closely.”
Tomlin noted that aside from Cam McCutcheon leaving with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, the team emerged from the game without significant injuries: “And to top it all off, we kind of got through the game virtually injury-free,” said Tomlin. “I’m thinking Cam McCutcheon got taken out with a soft tissue injury, maybe a hamstring that needs to be evaluated. But other than that, we were pretty clean.
“And so a productive night on a lot of fronts, and obviously we’ll comb through the tape and learn from it in a lot of ways, both players and coaches. Then hopefully be better the next time out.”
Many prominent Steelers did not play in this preseason opener—including DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Rodgers, Chris Boswell, Calvin Austin III, Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr., DeShon Elliott, Jaylen Warren, Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith, Isaac Seumalo, Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward—leaving open questions about how well the team will perform once these starters return.
Concerns remain regarding whether the running game can meet expectations or if there are enough reliable receiving options beyond DK Metcalf; these issues were not resolved by Saturday’s win.
The Steelers will return to Latrobe for further training as they continue preparing for the regular season.
