The Steelers started rough but rallied to beat the Eagles, 24-16, in their second preseason game last night. It was Philadelphia’s first game.
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins entered the game in the second quarter and led the Steelers to four scores: three touchdowns and a field goal. Haskins was 16-of-22 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown. With Haskins directing the offense, the Steelers scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Anthony McFarland, a 22-yard pass to Anthony Johnson, and a 1-yard run by Jaylen Samuels. They also got a 22-yard field goal from kicker Sam Sloman.
Mason Rudolph led the first-team offense and was 8-of-9 passing for 72 yards but the Steelers offense was plagued by drive-killing penalties on their first few possessions.
Coach Mike Tomlin says there will be lots to learn by looking at the video of last night’s game.
Tomlin says no decisions have been made yet on who will be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup, nor on any of the other position battles on the Steelers’ roster.
Roethlisberger will start next Saturday night at Heinz Field against the Detroit Lions.
Starting offensive linemen Trai Turner and Chuks Okorafor made their preseason debuts last night and second-year guard Kevin Dotson also played for the first time. Tackle Zach Banner did not dress for the game. Other starters out of uniform last night were Big Ben, TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, Joe Haden, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Linebacker Devin Bush returned for his first action since knee surgery last season and showed some rust. The Steelers seemed to indicate some concerns about his recovery when they traded yesterday for former Browns and Jaguars inside linebacker Joe Schobert. He started all 16 games for the Jags last year and made 141 tackles.
NFL Network reported the trade but had no details on what the Steelers gave up. Mike Tomlin refused to comment but Schobert’s wife tweeted, “Yinz are going to love this.”
