Category: 2022 Week 15 Steelers vs. Panthers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been holding on to the slimmest of playoff hopes for the better part of a month. But that could soon be coming to an end. This weekend the Steelers take on the Carolina Panthers, and a loss by the Steelers would mathematically eliminate them from playoff contention.

Season one of life after Ben Roethlisberger has been forgettable. It is almost inevitable that head coach Mike Tomlin will suffer his first season below .500, and all three phases seem to have felt the loss of No. 7.

Pittsburgh finishes the season on the road against the Panthers, followed by a Christmas Eve home game against the Las Vegas Raiders and finally back-to-back AFC North games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.

Let us know in the comments what you think the Steelers’ final record will be.

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This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to take on the Carolina Panthers. Both teams are 5-8 but both teams have their eyes on different goals. The Steelers are playing out the string, just hoping to avoid serious injuries and attempt to regain some respect. Carolina is still fighting for a division title in a weak NFC South.

These factors, paired with the Steelers uncertainty at quarterback are why most NFL pundits are picking the Panthers at home. According to NFL Pick Watch, 72 percent of expert picks are going with Carolina. NFL Pick Watch aggregates picks from all over the internet and put them in one place.

Historically, the Steelers have been very good against Carolina. The team is 6-1 lifetime against them. The last time these two teams squared off was i 2018. The Steelers blew the Panthers out 52-21.

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Thanks to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett being doubtful for this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers, there is some mystery as to who the starting quarterback will be.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has Pickett listed as doubtful but hasn’t ruled him out completely. Meanwhile Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph have spent the week preparing not knowing which guy is getting the call if Pickett can’t go.

Trubisky has served as Pickett’s backup since losing his starting job to him early in the season. Rudolph has been a healthy scratch in every game this season but says he is ready to rock if need be. Trubisky came in for Pickett last week and threw three interceptions. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

So cast your vote and tell us who you think starts at quarterback on Sunday against the Panthers.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a bit of a quandary this week. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is listed as doubtful with a concussion, backup Mitch Trubisky is coming off of one of his worst performances of the year and Mason Rudolph has yet to be active this season.

But according to head coach Mike Tomlin, the team is comfortable with the situation but wasn’t offering up many details. He said they would have more clarity after Saturday’s walkthrough.

Why is Tomlin comfortable with such a convoluted situation? There are probably several reasons we could speculate about but the most likely is he knows Pickett isn’t playing and understands there is virtually no difference between Trubisky and Rudolph. Oh, and he likely already knows which of the two will start.

No matter who is playing quarterback on Sunday, the job of the running game and defense should be what we are talking about. Being able to run the ball and stop the Panthers run game is what will mitigate the shortcomings of whoever is playing quarterback.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach told the press on Friday that rookie starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is listed as doubtful for the Steelers Week 15 game versus the Carolina Panthers.

Pickett remains in the concussion protocol after taking a huge hit in last Sunday’s loss against the Baltimore Ravens. It is the second time this season that Pickett has suffered a concussion.

Tomlin also noted that the team would have more clarity about the quarterback position after Saturday’s walkthrough. If we assume Pickett isn’t going to play, it will come down to Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph with one of them getting the start. Trubisky has been a starter this season but played a dreadful game in place of Pickett last week. This could open the door for Rudolph to get his first action of the season.

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said on Thursday that it would be a crowd approach to replacing injured defensive lineman Chris Wormley. Wormley suffered a knee injury last week against the Baltimore Ravens and has been placed on IR, ending his season.

Austin said a combination of Isaiahh Loudermilk, DeMavin Leal, Carlos Davis and newly signed Jonathan Marshall will replace Wormley.

The Steelers have plenty of bodies along the defensive line, but aside from defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, none have stood out this season. Pittsburgh saw the retirement of Stephon Tuitt in the offseason and is still struggling to find any combination of players to adequately replace him.

This week the Steelers will take on the Carolina Panthers and need to be on their A-game when it comes to stopping the run. Carolina is a power-run team with multiple options in the backfield. Pittsburgh will have to keep fresh bodies in the game so they don’t wear down.

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It is hard to fault Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph for being a little bitter. After signing a one-year contract extension and expecting to compete for the starting job, he was completely lost in the shuffle in training camp and the preseason and has been inactive all season long.

But now, with rookie starter Kenny Pickett in the concussion protocol, Rudolph is back in the picture and he’s taking the opportunity to get a little petty about the team that doesn’t seem to want him.

“I love this team, well at least my teammates,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph has been nothing but professional in handling his demotion this season but you can understand why he is venting a little this week. Head coach Mike Tomlin had the audacity to come out and say he always believed Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky were like 2 and 2a on the depth chart despite the fact Rudolph gets almost no meaningful practice reps.

But with how poorly Trubisky played last week when Pickett went out with a concussion, the team has to be considering if Rudolph is a better option this week against the Carolina Panthers.

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