The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 26-20 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs, assuring them the first losing preseason record of the Mike Tomlin era, for whatever that little factoid is worse.
Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, (and no fan of watching things on the computer) Steel Curtain Rising could not see the game, but as always we’re happy to bring you highlights. Watch them while you can, because Roger Goodell’s YouTube police seem to be more aggressive than ever.
The results in preseason are of course meaningless. Its performance that counts. In that light Steelers Nation is faced with a half full, half empty situation.
On the plus side…
- Ben Roethlisberger looked sharp going 13-19-166, hitting Antonio Brown for 49 yards, Emmanuel Sanders for 24 yardsand Jonathan Dwyer for a 15 yard touchdown
- Markus Wheaton also looked strong with 3 catches for 54 yards including a 34 yard catch
- Felix Jones staked a claim to a roster spot, leading the team in rushing
- Cortez Allen roared back to life, leading the team in tackles
- Alan Baxter staked his claim to a roster spot registering 2 sacks
- Cameron Heyward and Ziggy Hood both registered sacks
On the negative side…
- Special teams were atrocious, giving up a 109 return for a touchdown and seeing a blocked field goal
- Despite playing Kelvin Beachum as a roaming tight end, Ben Rothlisberger was sacked twice and under pressure
- The Steelers were penalized 9 times for 98 yards, many of which ensured that the Cheifs stayed in the game
- The starting defense allowed Alex Smith to look sharp and tie up the score at half time
- Neither Jonathan Dwyer nor Baron Batch could make headway rushing the ball (no wonder why Batch was cut)
The other big news of the night was the injury to first round pick Jarvis Jones, but it has been reported that the tests he underwent were negative.
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