Five things that stood out in Carolina Panthers’ preseason win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
In their final preseason game before the regular season begins in two weeks, the Panthers put on their best performance in three exhibitions.
The starters on offense and defense played the entire first half, and looked good doing it. And the backups weren’t bad, either. Sam Darnold threw two touchdowns, and the starting defense didn’t allow a score in the Panthers’ 34-9 win at Bank of America Stadium.
Here are five things that stood out:
1. Giovanni Ricci may have earned his spot
Ricci, who had entered camp as a tight end, converted to fullback late in training camp in hopes of having a better chance at earning a roster spot.
The Panthers were lacking at fullback at Alex Armah’s departure last offseason.
In his first game as a fullback, Ricci played well. He had a one-yard rush and caught a seven-yard pass out of the backfield. Ricci also plays some special teams.
Rhule loves players who are versatile, and Ricci showed that Friday.
2. Sam Darnold was at his best in the 2-minute drill
One of Teddy Bridgewater’s suggestions after being traded from the Panthers earlier this year was that they practice the two-minute drill more often; it was one of the areas they struggled most in 2020.
In his first opportunity at a two-minute drill in the first half, Darnold excelled. He led the Panthers on a 12-play, 84-yard touchdown drive in five minutes. But did his best work in the final two minutes.
With two minutes remaining, the Panthers had the ball at their own 49-yard line. Darnold completed four consecutive passes and concluded the touchdown drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson on his outside shoulder, where only he could catch it.
“It was a heck of a ball to Robby,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said.
He was 6-of-7 passing for 58 yards on that drive, which was his final drive of the game.
Before that drive, Darnold had played OK. When he was pressured. He panicked some, and feet started to move around in the pocket.
Darnold finished 19 of 25 for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
3. Panthers’ defense continued to shine
It should be noted that Pittsburgh did not play its starters, having already played three preseason games before Friday night. But that also meant that the Panthers needed to dominate the Steelers’ second-string players.
They did that.
Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins never looked comfortable, similar to how he looked the last time he played the Panthers when he was QB quarterback. He finished 5 of 12 for 35 yards.
Though the Panthers did not sack Haskins, they pressured him. Cornerback Donte Jackson was all over the field. He had four tackles. Jeremy Chinn had a nice pass deflection, and so did rookie Jaycee Horn.
And defensive end Brian Burns had a big interception from a pass that fell off the hands of fullback Derek Watt. The defense, if it can stay healthy, will likely be the strong suit of this Panthers’ team.
4. Joey Slye is in his own head
The Panthers showed that they were serious about Joey Slye’s recent struggles when they traded a seventh-round pick to the New York Giants for Ryan Santoso.
It was the first competition for Slye all camp, and an opportunity for Slye to prove he was the starter.
But Slye missed a 49-yard field goal wide right in the first half with no wind.
Meanwhile, Santoso was 2 for 2 and made a 52-yard field goal that hit off the right upright and went in. Slye looks to be in his own head. Before his 49-yard field goal, the officials reviewed the play prior. Slye paced back and forth for nearly a minute before play resumed.
Then he missed the kick.
“He’s just in one of those places right now where he’s just struggling,” Rhule said of Slye. “When you struggle at a lot of other positions, people don’t know it. When you struggle at that position, unfortunately, it’s magnified.”
5. Chuba Hubbard area for improvement
It’s not difficult to see that Hubbard, a former star at Oklahoma State and 2021 fourth-round draft pick, has potential. He has good vision, bounces off tackles and can pass block.
But it’s also easy to see where he needs to improve. The biggest area is his pass-catching.
He had a dropped pass in the first half against the Steelers which could have gone for a long gain had he caught it. Hubbard has played a lot this preseason with Christian McCaffrey resting until the regular season. He likely won’t see much time when McCaffrey is back.
But if he does play, he’ll need to make those catches. Those drops can be drive killers.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 10:48 PM.
