2021 Hall of Fame Game The good the not so good and the ugly during Steelers 16-3 win over Cowboys
2021 Hall of Fame Game The good the not so good and the ugly during Steelers 16-3 win over Cowboys
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CANTON, Ohio -- Many questions hovered over the 2021 as they took the field for Thursday night's Hall of Fame game against the .While winning is always a priority, Pittsburgh's 16-3 win was of minimal significance. The Steelers came into the night looking to answer some of those pre sing questions.The Steelers managed to find some answers in front of thousands of their fans inside Tom Benson Stadium as well as a national TV audience. Those watching saw several positive debuts from players the Steelers acquired the summer. They also saw the emergence of a particular defender who is looking to hold off a three-time Pro Bowler. To the chagrin of their fans, the Steelers Tommy Wingels Jersey also showed some of the flaws that plagued them during the final six games of 2020.With their first preseason game in the books, let's take a look at what was the good, the bad and the ugly regarding the Steelers' performance in the 2021 Hall of Fame Game.: The first-round pick was solid in his preseason debut. He ran seven times for 22 yards that included a 6-yard run on his first carry. His 3-yard catch on the ensuing play gave Pittsburgh its first first down. Harris, running primarily through the interior of the Steelers offensive line, had consecutive runs of 5 and 6 yards on Pittsburgh's second po se sion. Harris' one negative run was a reminder of some of the growing pains the young running back will experience while playing behind a young offensive line. Najee Harris' first NFL carry gets a first down (via ) SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) The offensive line: This unit faced the most question marks entering this game. It was just one game, but the group showed considerable promise against the Cowboys. Playing with four new starters that included rookieat center and fellow rookie . seeing time at left tackle, Pittsburgh's offensive line didn't allow a sack of starting quarterback . For the most part, the unit cleared clean running lanes for Harris, and , whose 4-yard touchdown run gave the Steelers a 6-3 lead just over four minutes into the second half. Powering ahead : FOX | : Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) : departure has opened the door for Highsmith, who picked up where he left off last season. His first-quarter sack of forced the Cowboys to settle for a field goal. He and teammate combined to stuff for a 2-yard lo s on the Cowboys' next offensive po se sion. Also recording sacks Thursday night was defensive end and rookie . The collective play of this group should have answered any questions about Pittsburgh's outside pa s rush.: He didn't make a significant statement in his quest to supplant Mason Rudolph as the No. 2 quarterback, but Haskins didn't hurt his case, either. The former first-round pick was an efficient 8 of 13 for 54 yards while leading the Steelers on their first two scoring drives. Haskins also took care of the ball, a significant milestone after he threw more interceptions than touchdowns during his two years in Washington. Speaking of quarterbacks, Josh Dobbs, who came into the game at the start of the fourth quarter, threw an impre sive 5-yard touchdown strike to . Dobbs has the most at stake this preseason, as the Steelers will have to shelf one of their quarterbacks on the practice squad when the regular season begins. Touchdown!Dobbs Joel Ward Jersey Simmons: FOX | : Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) : In limited work, the Steelers' leading receiver last season caught both of his targets for 19 yards. While he is part of one of the NFL's deepest receiving corps, Johnson showed why he is primed to have his first 1,000-yard season in 2021. : Pittsburgh's seventh-round pick certainly made his case to win his position battle against . He had a 48-yard punt downed on the Cowboys' 1-yard-line near the end of the first half. The reigning Ray Guy Award recipient followed that up with a 51-yard punt three minutes into the fourth quarter. "Popcorn": It may be a popular movie theatre snack, but popcorn has a negative connotation in Pittsburgh's locker room. Mike Tomlin refers to popcorn as big plays allowed by his defense. And while they didn't allow many points, the Steelers defense gave up their share of popcorn on Thursday night. Among the big plays allowed was a 25-yard run, a 36-yard completion and two other completions of more than 20 yards. The Cowboys specifically took advantage of linebacker on a key third-down completion (a 12-yard completion to Dowdle) that set up the game's first score. The Steelers will certainly look to fill those leaks prior to their next preseason game against the .Pa s defense: There were shades of the 2015 Steelers defense, a bend-but-not-break unit that tried to mask its lapses in pa s coverage with pa s rush and turnovers. Like the offensive line, the Steelers secondary has question marks after losing and this offseason. Playing without , the unit allowed Gilbert and to complete 17 of their 26 attempts for 174 yards. They also yielded 13 first-half first downs while allowing the Cowboys to convert on more than half of their first-half third-down conversions.Pittsburgh's secondary bent but ultimately did not break. It also came up with the Steelers' first two turnovers: a fumble recovery by Antoine Brooks (that was forced by ) and a pick by . , an undrafted rookie who is in the mix to replace Hilton at nickleback, had a notable night as a special teams gunner. Right there for the taking : FOX | : Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) Rudolph's blunder:Rudolph's lost fumble on Pittsburgh's first po se sion muddied an otherwise solid performance from the fourth-year veteran. The fumble, which occurred as Rudolph was trying to hand the ball to , abruptly ended a promising opening drive. His best play was his 45-yard completion to Claypool two po se sions later. Rudolph eschewed an easy underneath throw tofor his deep completion to Claypool, who got hit hard after dropping a pa s earlier in the half. Have to watch this one more Patrick Marleau Jersey time! | Watch now on | Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) More drops: Drops were one of the biggest reasons why the Steelers' 2020 season went south after an 11-0 start. That i sue reared its ugly head on a few occasions on Thursday night. Claypool's drop ended the Steelers' second drive of the night. Washington also dropped a pa s on the Steelers' final drive of the first half. It was just a preseason game, but the sight of more drops was surely unnerving for Pittsburgh fans.Kicking woes: It was a rough night for kicker, who mi sed a 49-yard attempt in the first half and a point-after in the third quarter. He rebounded with a 48-yard field goal that extended Pittsburgh's lead to 9-3 with le s than five minutes left in the third quarter.
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