Pittsburgh Steelers vs Carolina Panthers: Complete Week 3 Preview for Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-1, but the vibe feels similar to their 0-2 start last season.
It won't be easy for the Steelers to steer their season in the right direction in Week 3. They face the Carolina Panthers (2-0) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday Night Football (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
The Steelers won on a last-second field goal after blowing a 24-point lead against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 and then got hammered by the Baltimore Ravens 26-6 in Week 2 on Sept. 11. They've had 10 days to regroup and hit the road again to face one of the NFL's seven unbeaten teams.
Carolina defeated the Detroit Lions 24-7 at home in Week 2. Cam Newton, in his first game back from a rib injury, completed 22 of 34 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers held the Lions to their lowest point total since Week 7 of the 2012 season, when Detroit went 4-12.
The Panthers defense ranks fifth in the NFL with 293.5 yards allowed per game. Carolina has allowed the second-fewest points with 21.
The Steelers, meanwhile, are 20th in the NFL with 356 yards allowed per game and 27th in rush defense with 5.2 yards allowed per carry. They've been outscored 50-9 over the past six quarters and haven't scored a touchdown since the first half of their season opener.
This is the second straight year the Steelers haven't forced a turnover in their first two games. They're one of three teams in the NFL without a takeaway this season.
The Steelers have gone 19-19 in their last 38 games, including playoffs, going back to Week 15 of the 2011 season. That's the definition of mediocrity. The Steelers have their work cut out for them if they want to lean on the right side of that fence after Sunday night's game.
Steelers Week 2 Recap
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The Steelers never recovered from Justin Brown's fumble on their opening drive and lost to the Ravens 26-6 at Baltimore to drop to 1-1.
Pittsburgh seemed to find the offense that put up 27 points in the first half against the Browns. The Steelers moved the ball 64 yards on 12 plays, but Brown dropped the ball at the Baltimore 16-yard line, and the Ravens put together a 12-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to go up 7-0.
Brown's fumble was one of three turnovers the Steelers committed. They also turned the ball over once against Cleveland and haven't forced a turnover this season. The Steelers haven't won the turnover battle in a game since forcing four and committing none in a 27-11 win at Cleveland in Week 12 last season.
Carolina isn't exactly the perfect setting for the Steelers to start tearing the ball away from opposing offenses. The Panthers lead the league in giveaway-takeaway ratio. They've forced six takeaways with no giveaways.
That doesn't figure to help a Steelers offense that hasn't scored a touchdown in 97 minutes of football.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers did a better job of stopping run against the Ravens, even if it's not evident in the box score.
They allowed 157 yards on 36 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. However, Justin Forsett had a 41-yard gain and Bernard Pierce picked up 17 on a carry after the Ravens went up 23-6 in the fourth quarter. In the first three quarters, the Steelers allowed 61 rushing yards on 23 carries, an average of 2.7 yards per run.
The Steelers have allowed 174 rushing yards per game, 30th in the NFL, but the Panthers' anemic ground game might give them something to build upon.
The Panthers are 25th in the NFL with 175 rushing yards. DeAngelo Williams leads the team with 72 yards on 14 carries, but he's questionable for Sunday's game, according to CBSSports.com.
Then again, the Browns were without Ben Tate in the second half, and the Ravens were without Ray Rice.
News and Notes
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Polamalu, Mitchell Not Fined
Steelers safeties Mike Mitchell and Troy Polamalu won't be fined for their hits that prompted unnecessary roughness penalties at Baltimore, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Those two calls came during a three-play sequence with the Ravens in the red zone, and the Ravens took advantage with a touchdown to increase their lead to 17-6 late in the third quarter.
The lack of fines implies that the hits were legal.
"It looks as tho neither #Steelers Mike Mitchell, Troy Polamalu were fined for their flagged hits vs Ravens. Means NFL judges hits legal .
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) September 18, 2014"
Mitchell, whom the Steelers signed from Carolina during the offseason, doesn't have to open his wallet this time, but he was fined a total of $40,000 last season. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he'll start aiming for the knees on tackles rather than the waist to avoid further fines.
"Obviously, in aiming for the waist, they're going to give guys that ability to duck. Now. I have to hit you in the legs because there's no way you can duck and meet him in the head if I am aiming for the knee," Mitchell said.
Upshaw Fined for Hit on Roethlisberger
Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw was fined $16,537 for his hit on Ben Roethlisberger on the third play of last week's game, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Upshaw was penalized for roughing the passer on the play, which negated a sack. On Tuesday, Roethlisberger was still hurting from that hit, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He ranked that hit the second-hardest he's taken in his career.
The hardest came on the same field. Bart Scott whacked him cleanly in 2006 and knocked him out of the game for a play during a 27-0 Ravens victory.
Panthers Without Hardy
Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy is on voluntary leave with pay, according to CNN.com. Hardy will have a new trial in November for a domestic violence conviction in July. He is on the commissioner's exempt list, which allows players to be paid while on leave.
Hardy was third in the NFL with 15 sacks last season. Mario Addison had 2.5 sacks in his place to help the Panthers defeat the Lions 24-7 in Week 2.
Panthers Banged Up
The Panthers have 14 players listed on their injury report, according to CBSSports.com. Nine of them are listed as probable. Three of their skill position players on offense are questionable.
Running back DeAngelo Williams is questionable with a thigh injury and could be a game-time decision. He's the Panthers' leading rusher this year with 72 yards, with all of them coming in the season-opening win over Tampa Bay. Williams sat out last week.
Jonathan Stewart, who has 57 yards on 24 carries this season, would be thrust into the starting role if Williams doesn't play.
Wide receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant also are questionable with thigh injuries. Cotchery and rookie Kelvin Benjamin share the team lead among receivers with eight receptions each. Losing Cotchery and Avant would be a debilitating blow to the Panthers offense. Benjamin and Brenton Bersin would be the only remaining receivers with any catches this season, and Bersin has just one.
Brown Nearing Record
Antonio Brown has caught at least five passes for 50 yards in 18 consecutive games, going back to the beginning of the 2013 season. If he does it again Sunday night at Carolina, he will tie former Jets and Redskins receiver Laveranues Coles for the NFL record, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Coles' streak straddled the 2002 and 2003 seasons with two different teams. He caught at least five passes for 50 yards in 13 straight games with the Jets in 2002 and six straight with the Redskins in 2003.
Homecoming Day
It might seem like the Steelers and Panthers made a trade during the offseason. Former Steeler Jerricho Cotchery will be in a Panthers uniform and former Panther Mike Mitchell will be in a Steelers uniform. But there was no trade. The Steelers and Panthers just happened to sign each other's free agents.
So far, Cotchery has been a better free-agent signing for the Panthers than Mitchell has been for the Steelers. Cotchery has caught eight passes for 78 yards in the first two games. Mitchell has 12 tackles with no interceptions, no pass breakups and no sacks. He had four interceptions, eight pass breakups and 3.5 sacks for the Panthers last season.
Another Thursday Loss
For the third year in a row, the Steelers hit the road for their Thursday night game, and for the third straight year, they lost on Thursday night.
Since 2006, the road team is 24-43 in Thursday night games, according to Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter.
The Steelers are 9-12 all-time on Thursdays. They haven't won a Thursday game on the road since 2007 and haven't lost a Thursday game at home since 1995. Since 2012, every team has played at least one Thursday night game per season.
Maybe it's time the Steelers get a Thursday home game next season.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Dri Archer | RB | Doubtful (ankle) |
| Martavis Bryant | WR | Probable (shoulder) |
| Ramon Foster | G | Questionable (ankle) |
| Brett Keisel | DE | Probable (not injury related) |
| Steve McLendon | NT | Probable (shoulder) |
| Heath Miller | TE | Probable (not injury related) |
| Lance Moore | WR | Probable (groin) |
| Troy Polamalu | S | Probable (not injury related) |
Two receivers—rookie Martavis Bryant and free-agent signing Lance Moore—are expected to make their debut for the Steelers. Bryant was drafted in the fourth round in May.
Rookie Dri Archer, who was drafted in the third round, is likely to miss his second game in a row.
If Ramon Foster can't go at left guard, Cody Wallace would take his place, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Injury report information is from CBSSports.com.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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Marcus Gilbert vs. Charles Johnson
All eyes will be on Marcus Gilbert Sunday night after Elvis Dumervil treated him like a rag doll and sacked Ben Roethlisberger twice. Gilbert has been responsible for four of the five sacks the Steelers have allowed this year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Charles Johnson lines up at left defensive end in the Panthers 4-3 defense, so he'll primarily go up against Gilbert at right tackle. Johnson has no sacks this season, but he leads the Panthers in both quarterback hits with three and hurries with six. Johnson had 11 sacks last year and has 54 in his career.
Ryan Shazier vs. Cam Newton
The Steelers have never faced Cam Newton in a regular-season game. It will take more than just Ryan Shazier to keep Newton from running wild on the Steelers, but since the rookie inside linebacker is the fastest player on the Steelers defense, it would help if he knew where Newton was at all times.
The Panthers quarterback has run for 2,051 yards (5.6 yards per carry) with 28 touchdowns in his career. The Steelers must be leery of mobile quarterbacks. Terrelle Pryor's 93-yard run on the first play last year at Oakland squashed any momentum the Steelers carried from a two-game winning streak. They lost that game 21-18 and fell to 2-5.
Le'Veon Bell vs. Luke Kuechly
Luke Kuechly, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, also was the 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He's the eighth player in NFL history to be named the league's top defensive player after being named the league's top defensive rookie, according to Steelers.com. Also on that list are Joe Greene and Jack Lambert.
The 6'3", 238-pound middle linebacker leads the NFL with 340 tackles since 2012.
Le'Veon Bell isn't an easy running back to tackle. He's fifth in the NFL with 168 rushing yards and third among running backs with 110 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus. Bell also has caught 11 passes. Matt Forte and Bobby Rainey are the only running backs in the league who have caught more. Bell is the NFL's No. 3 running back with 136 receiving yards.
Kuechly will have his hands full.
Lawrence Timmons vs. Greg Olsen
Tight end Greg Olsen leads the Panthers with 14 receptions this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Olsen leads the league in yards after the catch among tight ends with 79.
Timmons and the rest of the Steelers defense must improve their tackling to prevent Olsen from turning catches into big gains. Pro Football Focus indicated that the Steelers missed 15 tackles against the Ravens and that Timmons missed the most with five. He has missed eight tackles this season, according to PFF, most on the team.
To be fair, Timmons was ill during last week's game at Baltimore. According to former Steeler Craig Wolfley of Steel City Insider (subscription required), Timmons threw up on the sidelines in the second quarter.
Steelers X-Factor to Watch: Lance Moore
Lance Moore is expected to make his Steelers debut after missing the first two games with a groin injury. The 31-year-old, 5'9" slot receiver adds depth and a veteran presence that the Steelers lacked at Baltimore in Week 2.
Antonio Brown leads the Steelers with 12 receptions, and Markus Wheaton is coming along fine in his second season with 11 catches. The only other Steelers receiver to catch a pass this season is Justin Brown, who has four receptions.
Playing in his second NFL game after spending last season on the practice squad, Brown fumbled the ball away on the Steelers' opening drive at Baltimore. The Ravens converted that turnover into a 7-0 lead and never looked back.
"Todd Haley on what Lance Moore can bring: "Experience 1st and foremost. [He's made] big plays in big games"
— Ken Laird (@Ken_Laird) September 18, 2014"
Moore's reliable hands will be a welcome addition. He's lost three fumbles in his nine-year career. By comparison, Hines Ward lost seven fumbles in 14 years. In three of the last four years, Moore has been in the top 10 in the NFL in catch percentage per target, according to Pro Football Focus.
The X-factor for the Steelers will be how much Moore has left in the tank. He caught 37 passes for the New Orleans Saints last season after catching 66 in 2010, 52 in 2011 and 65 in 2012.
So far, the Steelers haven't had much return on their free-agent investments. Mike Mitchell and Cam Thomas have been disappointments, and LeGarrette Blount hasn't been used much. The Steelers need Moore to change that and take hold of the No. 3 receiver role. They signed him to a two-year, $3 million contract, according to Spotrac.
Prediction
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The Panthers haven't missed a beat after going 12-4 last season and reaching the NFC Divisional Round.
Their win at Tampa Bay in the season opener looked impressive at the time considering backup quarterback Derek Anderson started in place of Cam Newton. In light of the Buccaneers' 56-14 loss at Atlanta Thursday night, however, it seems a lot of backup quarterbacks could lead their team to a win over Tampa Bay.
The Steelers, obviously, don't want to have to start Bruce Gradkowski when they host Tampa Bay in Week 4. The Panthers are tied for fourth in the league with seven sacks, so protecting Roethlisberger is among the Steelers' many worries in this game.
If Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and company could only scratch out seven points on this defense, it's hard to imagine the Steelers doing any better at Bank of America Stadium in front of a charged-up, prime-time crowd.
The Steelers aren't as bad as they looked in Baltimore. But even if they take a step forward, the Panthers are just a better team right now.
Prediction: Panthers 23, Steelers 13
Stats are from NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
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