Trubisky led the Steelers on touchdown drives of 67 and 75 yards on Pittsburgh's first two possessions with Harris and Warren scoring on short runs for a 14-7 halftime lead. The Steelers came in having dominated the series, winning the previous six games by a combined margin of 213-80 with all of those wins by at least 10 points. 'When our chances come to be able to take shots up top, we have to be able to hit them.” “With the way we've been able to run the ball, you see more one-high coverages,” Darnold said. Part of the strategy was using an extra big defensive lineman in 6-foot-4, 290-pound Marvin Leal.ĭarnold said he expects to see more stacked boxes moving forward. Tomlin said he “threw a little schematics” at the Panthers to slow down their run game. But he was sacked four times, and the Panthers struggled in the red zone. Foreman had 9 yards on 10 carries.ĭarnold finished 14 of 23 for 225 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers had averaged 191.6 yards rushing in their five wins, but managed just 21 yards on 16 carries - the fifth-lowest total in franchise history - as the Steelers stacked the box and dared Sam Darnold to beat them. “I don’t want anybody in this building talking playoffs.”Ĭarolina's modest successes this season can be traced to its strong running game led by D'Onta Foreman, but that was absent on Sunday. “We’ve got to worry about trying to get ourselves right to win a football game,” Wilks said. Wilks, in a much lower-key version of a famous rant by Jim Mora, said he doesn't even want to think about the postseason. The Buccaneers (6-8) helped Carolina by losing at home to Cincinnati. “Third down was horrendous to say the least - on both sides,” Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks said.ĭespite the loss, the second-place Panthers (5-9) still control their own playoff destiny and will win the NFC South at 8-9 if they can beat Detroit, Tampa Bay and New Orleans to close the season. The Steelers held a 13-minute edge in time of possession and converted 12 of 16 third-down opportunities, while the Panthers were 4 of 11. Najee Harris carried 24 times for 86 yards and a touchdown and Jaylen Warren added a 2-yard TD run for Pittsburgh (6-8), which has won three of its last four. The Steelers ran for 156 yards and three TDs on 45 carries. But it’s easier to do those things when you’re playing behind an effective run game.” He played clean and had a high completion percentage. “I thought he kept the ball off the ground.

“He managed (the game) well,” Tomlin said. He ran for a 1-yard touchdown and played turnover-free football, giving coach Mike Tomlin no reason to replace him with Mason Rudolph, who had split reps Trubisky this week in practice. Trubisky was named the starter on Saturday after rookie Kenny Pickett was ruled out with a concussion. “It feels good to be able to get this opportunity and come through and to have my teammates trust in me.” “I know what I can do in this league,” Trubisky said. 2 pick in the 2017 draft turned in one of the steadier performances of his NFL career, throwing for 179 yards and engineering three long touchdown drives as Pittsburgh held on to beat Carolina 24-16. Mitch Trubisky knew his grasp on the Steelers' starting quarterback job was tenuous at best when he took the field on Sunday.īut the No. NFL, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh SteelersĬHARLOTTE, N.C.

Trubisky solid, Steelers' D shuts down Panthers in 24-16 win

Panther vs steelers score