The good news? The Pittsburgh Steelers preseason from hell is over. The bad news? Boy did it end as abysmally as it began.
Pittsburgh was beaten soundly by the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night at Heinz Field, by a final score of 23-6. The defense, albeit featuring almost all backups, was gashed for 454 total yards and a whopping 226 yards on the ground by the Panthers reserves, a beating that lasted all four quarters and couldn’t end quickly enough.
Yet even when the ending came, it was slow and cruel. With the Steelers two yards from pay dirt and attempting to end their preseason on a high note with just 18 seconds left in the game, Will Johnson’s rush came up short of the goal line and may have seriously injured two reserve offensive linemen.