Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Standouts vs. Titans in Preseason Week 3
By Samuel Teets
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ starters led the way in a Week 3 preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to 3-0 this preseason with an 18-6 win against the Tennessee Titans. The starters carried the game, setting the Steelers up with a comfy lead early in the first quarter. After Pittsburgh’s 15-point explosion in the first, only nine points were scored by both teams for the rest of the game.
Highlighting the night was Pittsburgh’s dominant defensive pressure, which resulted in a safety, seven sacks, and eight tackles for loss. The Steelers offense was also on fire when all or most of the starters were in the game. Ben Roethlisberger was in the game long enough to attempt 13 attempts. Conversely, Marcus Mariota only attempted three passes before leaving the game.
Naturally, the stars of the game came from the early offensive starters and the defenders that terrorized Tennessee’s quarterback for most of the night. Here are the players that deserve to be highlighted.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
The entire starting Steelers offense looked sharp. There were a few missed throws, but everything else looked good. James Conner ran for 41 yards on just five carries. Roethlisberger finished with a 99.2 passer rating. James Washington had yet another big catch that went 41 yards for a touchdown.
However, Smith-Schuster is the standout I’m taking from the unit because he was targeted the most and had the most receptions. As the team’s lone star receiver, he was still able to routinely get open and make catches. There’s also just something about watching Smith-Schuster play that makes the game enjoyable, and we saw that last night.
The highlight of Smith-Schuster’s night came with 4:32 left in the first quarter when he caught a 17-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger. A little jab to the outside set the cornerback up perfectly and Smith-Schuster broke inside, catching the pass with ease and plenty of space. He finished the game with four receptions on five targets for 37 yards and that touchdown.
I’d also like to get in my weekly praise for Washington at this point. The second-year wide receiver caught a 41-yard bomb from Mason Rudolph with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter. That was Washington’s lone catch on the night, but he was only targeted twice.