Carolina
Panthers
6-6
28
FINAL
31
Pittsburgh
Steelers
6-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 16 showdown, the Pittsburgh Steelers narrowly defeated the Carolina Panthers with a final score of 31-28, solidifying their playoff aspirations. Both teams entered the game with significant stakes, but it was the Steelers who emerged victorious in a closely contested battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Leading the charge for Pittsburgh was quarterback Drew Allar, who threw for an impressive 337 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his ability to lead the offense effectively. His standout performance was complemented by a strong receiving effort, but the Steelers' ability to capitalize on key moments ultimately secured their win. For the Panthers, Chuba Hubbard rushed for 91 yards, while Chris Brazzell II led the receiving corps with 111 yards, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Steelers' offensive firepower.
Defensively, the Steelers made crucial plays that shaped the outcome of the game, particularly Jalen Ramsey's pivotal interception, which shifted momentum in the second half. Although the Panthers' Tyrel Dodson recorded eight tackles and Devin Lloyd added a sack, it was the Steelers' timely defensive stops that proved decisive. The turning point came when Ramsey's interception set up a touchdown drive, giving Pittsburgh the cushion they needed to hold off a late Panthers rally.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Allar | QB | 44 | 30 | 337 | 3 | 0 | 113.5 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 32 | 19 | 209 | 2 | 1 | 86.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 13 | 91 | 7.0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 15 | 64 | 4.3 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 6 | 16 | 2.7 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 6 | 111 | 18.5 | 1 | 55 | 1 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 7 | 100 | 14.3 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 6 | 80 | 13.3 | 1 | 21 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 74 | 14.8 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tyrel Dodson | WILL | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Will Lee III | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Taylor Rapp | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandin Echols | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akayleb Evans | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E.J. Speed | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 3 | 3 | 2 | 50 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

