Carolina
Panthers
12-2
27
FINAL
37
Pittsburgh
Steelers
8-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Pittsburgh Steelers secured a 37-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a crucial Week 16 matchup, keeping their playoff hopes alive. With this win, the Steelers solidify their position in the postseason race, while the Panthers face a challenging road ahead as they look to regroup.
Drew Allar shone for the Steelers, throwing for three touchdowns and leading a balanced offensive attack. Rico Dowdle contributed significantly with 100 rushing yards, providing the ground game needed to complement Allar's aerial assault. On the other side, Bryce Young showcased his arm talent with an impressive 386 passing yards, but it wasn't enough to overcome Pittsburgh's scoring onslaught.
Defensively, the Steelers were impactful, with Travis Hunter leading the team with seven total tackles. The turning point came late in the game when DeShon Elliott snagged an interception, halting a potential Panthers comeback and allowing Pittsburgh to maintain their lead. Derrick Harmon also added to the pressure with a sack, emphasizing the Steelers' defensive prowess in key moments.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Young | QB | 45 | 25 | 56% | 386 | 3 | 1 | 97.0 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 47 | 28 | 60% | 366 | 3 | 0 | 105.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 14 | 100 | 7.1 | 45 | 1 | 34 | 1 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 11 | 48 | 4.4 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 3 | 20 | 6.7 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 5 | -6 | -1.2 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 8 | 242 | 30.3 | 136 | 2 | 76 | 1 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 7 | 168 | 24.0 | 81 | 2 | 79 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 6 | 75 | 12.5 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 6 | 66 | 11.0 | 30 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 6 | 64 | 10.7 | 14 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 3 | 20 | 6.7 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Ja'Tavion Sanders | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 2 | -1 | -0.5 | — | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Travis Hunter | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lathan Ransom | SS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Lee III | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nic Scourton | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jackson Kuwatch | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Bruener | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrel Dodson | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tershawn Wharton | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akayleb Evans | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 3 | 3 | 4 | 55 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 30 |

