Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Standouts from Preseason Week 2
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have lost to the Packers in Week 2 of the 2018 preseason, but which players still managed to perform well?
Things weren’t always pretty for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their second game of the 2018 preseason, and that got started immediately. Rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph threw an interception on the first play of the game that Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams took to the house. Ultimately, that would be the first of two pick-sixes for the Pack on Thursday night.
With those kinds of mistakes being made and the Packers offense overall performing well, it’s not surprising that the Steelers lost the Preseason Week 2 matchup, 51-34. However, it’s important to remember that this is an exhibition game where, in truth, the final score isn’t all that pivotal. What matters is the performances of players.
And rather than harp too much on what we saw negatively, let’s take a look at three players that stood out in a positive light for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 of the preseason.
3. James Washington
At the time that the Steelers selected James Washington with the 60th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, many people were already talking about the embarrassment of riches that Pittsburgh has at wide receiver. Not only do they have Antonio Brown, but they also found a gem in last year’s draft with Juju Smith-Schuster. So adding the explosive Washington to the mix seemingly only a made a dangerous offense even more lethal.
On Thursday night, Washington put that on display. Simply looking at the box score, it looked like the rookie out of Oklahoma State dominated. He was targeted seven times on the night and caught five passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. That, in itself, is enough to say that he had a big night in Green Bay. However, it was more than just that.
Both of Washington’s touchdowns on Thursday night were worthy of being on any Top 10 Highlights list of the week that you might see. On both scores, he made a play on the ball with a defender right on him and came down with the pigskin for the six points.
Make no mistake, Brown and Smith-Schuster are still the Nos. 1 and 2 guys in the Steelers receiving corps and Washington isn’t going to change that. However, what he can change is just how explosive this offensive group as a whole can be if he can continue this type of play when the regular season comes around.