![]() ![]() But their 31-21 loss at Philadelphia last Thursday was just as discouraging as their 0-for-August last year. After going 0-4 in the 2013 preseason and starting the regular season 0-4, the Steelers wanted to avoid another winless preseason. ![]() The Steelers' preseason victory came on Aug. ![]() That's especially true in this case, because the Steelers (1-2) and Panthers (1-2) face each other in prime time on Sunday night in Week 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Teams don't like to reveal much of their playbook in the preseason finale. Jason Worilds, Lance Moore and Sean Spence, all of whom have been nursing injuries, also will sit. Traditionally, most first-stringers only play a series or two in the final preseason game.īen Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and Cameron Heyward won't play at all Thursday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It's also a half-day of sorts for starters. Just like kids can't wait for summer vacation, NFL fans can't wait for the real games to begin. If the third preseason game is the dress rehearsal for the regular season, then the fourth preseason game is like the half-day on the last day of school. ET against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers close out the 2014 preseason Thursday at 7:30 p.m. RequestABet: Steelers win, over 48.5 points, J Conner & C McCaffrey to score, McCaffrey over 4.Landry Jones is expected to see a lot of action in Thursday night's preseason finale. Touchdowns: Antonio Brown & Christian McCaffrey to score at 2/1 Verdict: Pittsburgh Steelers to win (-3.5) at 5/6 They also rank eighth against the run, and that battle with Conner, who has four straight 100-yard games, could well be the deciding factor in this one. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner has also pulled out the odd trick play as he’s thrown the playbook wide open in recent weeks, so that adds another string to the formidable bow of the visiting Panthers. McCaffrey has 880 yards and five touchdowns and can hurt teams both running and catching passes out of the backfield, while Newton is becoming a master of faking a hand-off to his lively back and running the ball himself. Newton is a huge danger, especially now he has tight end Greg Olsen back as his top target, while his running prowess and partnership with running back Christian McCaffrey presents a real headache for the Steelers defence to solve. The defence will be tested against a high-flying Panthers attack under a quarterback, Cam Newton, who has posted 78 points in two games and has eclipsed 30 points in four of the last six. It’s been running back James Conner, though, who has hit the headlines as he’s stepped in for the AWOL Le’Veon Bell and been a revelation – actually out-performing the absent star over their respective last eight games with 1085 yards and ten scores.ĭefence has always been key in Pittsburgh and a leaky outfit has tightened up of late with no more than 21 points allowed in four games and a season-low 16 at Baltimore last week. Ben Roethlisberger has hit his straps at quarterback with an average 311 yards per game and 16 touchdowns. The week four loss to Baltimore sparked Pittsburgh into life as they’ve won every game since, averaging over 31 points per contest. The Panthers arrive on the back of a three-game win streak while the Steelers have put together a four-game run that has turned a muddling start into a 5-2-1 record and first place in the AFC North. ![]()
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