The Pittsburgh Steelers won a field goal kicking derby to defeat the Carolina Panthers 19 to 16, as Jeff Reed booted in a 43 yard field goal with no time remaining.

This is the second week in which Jeff Reed has kicked a field goal at the end of regulation to deliver victory for the Steelers. In fact, on the heels of his four field goal performance against the Vikings, a game in which he was the only team member to score, Reed could stake his claim to being the preseason offensive MVP.

Reed was not alone on the scoreboard tonight, as fullback Carey Davis managed to score on a six yard run.

Tonight’s victory gives the Steelers a 3-1 record in preseason, for whatever that is worth.

All eyes are now on the mandatory cuts that must come the next two days. Mike Tomlin entered the game saying that three to five roster spots were at stake, admonishing several players to make the most of their last opportunities to impress.

While final roster cuts are never easy, one of the most attention catching, and disturbing, facts is that draft picks like Ryan Mundy, Mike Humpal and even fourth round pick Tony Hills and third round pick Bruce Davis have been mentioned as possible cuts.

This is unlikely, but it is a situation that Steel Curtain Rising will be paying close attention to.

Once the 53 man roster is set, the next question will be whether the Steelers sign any of the players who are in the final year of their contracts before their self-imposed negotiation black-out period begins when they open against the Houston Texas.