Carolina Panthers 18, Pittsburgh Steelers 6
Here are the highest-graded players and top takeaways from the Panthers' 18-6 preseason Week 4 win at home over the Steelers.
Joe Webb earns solid grade in four quarters of action
Quarterback grade: Joe Webb, 65.8
The Panthers gave us four quarters of Joe Webb, and the results were a surprisingly-solid performance overall. He missed on a few throws, including a near interception in the red zone by Steelers rookie Artie Burns, but Webb also dropped a couple of excellent passes just over the underneath zones of the Pittsburgh defense, particularly on a post route early in the fourth quarter to WR Brenton Bersin.
Top offensive grades
G Chriss Scott, 78.8
WR Brenton Bersin, 78.7
T Donald Hawkins, 76.4
T Jordan Rigsbee, 71.0
HB Jaylon Simmons, 68.1
WR Brenton Bersin puts forth another strong preseason showing
In catching six of the seven balls thrown his way last night, Brenton Bersin climbed to 10th overall in receiving yards this preseason despite playing only three games. He does have one dropped pass thus far, but he’s caught 80 percent of his targets, and eight of his 12 catches have moved the chains.
Brenton Bersin passing stats (three preseason games)
Top defensive grades
LB Jared Norris, 81.8
DE Larry Webster III, 79.7
CB Bené Benwikere, 78.8
CB Louis Young, 76.7
LB Jeremy Cash, 75.6
DE Larry Webster plays well in first preseason action
Third-year defensive end Larry Webster logged one of the Panthers’ highest grades, doing so despite playing just 21 snaps in this game. He was a force in the running game, logging two defensive stops on 11 snaps against the run. Webster laid waste to Wade Hansen on the Steelers’ two-point conversion attempt, even if the sack he registered there won’t show up in the official stats.
Quarterback grade: Landry Jones, 52.1; Bryn Renner, 54.5
Quarterback duo not asked to carry the load
The young Steelers QB duo wasn’t asked to do much, combining to throw just 16 passes. Landry Jones nearly threw an interception on his lone attempt more than 10 yards downfield, a go route to Darrius Heyward-Bey that he placed too far to the inside, giving Panthers corner Bené Benwikere a contested chance at the pick. Renner completed just one of his four attempts aimed more than 10 yards downfield, but avoided any turnover-worthy throws on his 11 attempts.
Top offensive grades
G B.J. Finney, 76.7
T Alejandro Villanueva, 69.9
WR Cobi Hamilton, 69.9
TE David Johnson, 68.2
WR Eli Rogers, 67.8
LG Chris Hubbard struggles again
In his fourth season with the Steelers, Chris Hubbard has graded negatively for the fourth preseason in a row. After allowing two hurries in this game, he’s now surrendered eight pressures in total, and his run-blocking has graded in the bottom quarter among guards.
Top defensive grades
LB L.J. Fort, 80.8
S Jordan Dangerfield, 78.7
CB Al-Hajj Shabazz, 78.3
NT Daniel McCullers, 76.9
OLB Arthur Moats, 76.3
DT Javon Hargrave impresses yet again
Third-round pick Javon Hargreave saw his largest preseason workload to date (35 snaps) and responded with his third positively-graded game. He added three more pressures, bringing his preseason total to two sacks and six hurries and his pass-pushing productivity to 9.7, the third-highest mark among defensive tackles.
Ready for the Steelers' Week 1 matchup with the Redskins? Get the Pittsburgh 2016 season “cheat sheet” here.
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