Carolina
Panthers
1-13
3
FINAL
44
Pittsburgh
Steelers
13-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the Carolina Panthers with a commanding 44-3 victory in Week 16 of the 2026 season. With playoff implications on the line, the Steelers showcased their offensive prowess, solidifying their position as a formidable contender as the regular season winds down.
Leading the charge for Pittsburgh was Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns, demonstrating precision and poise throughout the game. Santonio Holmes provided a strong ground game, racking up 138 rushing yards and keeping the Panthers' defense on their heels. Despite a quiet day from the Panthers' offense, Stevonne Smith managed to secure 59 receiving yards, but his efforts were far from enough to turn the tide.
On the defensive side, the Steelers' unit was relentless, highlighted by Joey Porter's two sacks that consistently pressured the Panthers' quarterback. Trevor Townsend added an interception, further stifling any hope of a Carolina comeback. The turning point came early in the second quarter when Pittsburgh scored two quick touchdowns, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Panthers.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Roethlisberger | QB | 29 | 18 | 62% | 204 | 3 | 0 | 117.6 |
| Jake Delhomme | QB | 23 | 13 | 57% | 150 | 0 | 1 | 58.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santonio Holmes | WR | 3 | 138 | 46.0 | 135 | 2 | 69 | 0 |
| Willie Parker | HB | 15 | 72 | 4.8 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Stanley Cobbs | HB | 9 | 60 | 6.7 | 37 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| DeAngelo Williams | HB | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 30 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| DeShaun Foster | HB | 14 | 25 | 1.8 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Eric Shelton | HB | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jake Delhomme | QB | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | — | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Najeh Davenport | HB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Hines Ward | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Washington | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Willie Reid | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stevonne Smith | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Gaines | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff King | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevonne Smith | WR | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 24 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Hines Ward | WR | 2 | 58 | 29.0 | 48 | 1 | 51 | 0 |
| Nate Washington | WR | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 17 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| Heath Miller | TE | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 25 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Keyshawn Johnson | WR | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Santonio Holmes | WR | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Michael Gaines | TE | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Brian Clark | WR | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Willie Reid | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Jeff King | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Stanley Cobbs | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Porter | REDG | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Morgan | MIKE | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ike Taylor | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor Townsend | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| James Farrior | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Gamble | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Taylor | REDG | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Brown | SAM | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clark Haggans | SAM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julius Peppers | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kristopher Jenkins | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaun Williams | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Strait | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Smith | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ma'ake Kemoeatu | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Marshall | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lawrence Foote | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| James Harrison | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryant McFadden | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Minter | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Casey Hampton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Hoke | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Clark | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Polamalu | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alonzo Wallace | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Davis | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vinny Ciurciu | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nate Salley | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Scott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Reed | K | 3 | 3 | 5 | 56 |
| Chris Gardocki | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Kasay | K | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28 |

