Carolina
Panthers
7-7
42
FINAL
36
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-13
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 16 matchup, the Carolina Panthers outlasted the Pittsburgh Steelers with a final score of 42-36, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Both teams showcased their offensive firepower, but it was the Panthers who managed to stay ahead in the crucial moments of the game.
Bryce Young led the charge for Carolina, throwing for four touchdowns and demonstrating why he’s considered one of the league's top quarterbacks. Xavier Legette was a standout in the receiving corps, racking up an impressive 160 yards, while Trevor Etienne contributed with 49 rushing yards, adding balance to the Panthers' offensive strategy. Justin Fields kept the Steelers competitive with a stellar performance of his own, passing for 340 yards, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.
Defensively, the Steelers made their presence felt, particularly with T.J. Watt's dominant performance, notching 3.5 sacks. However, the turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Panthers' defense managed to stifle the Steelers' final drive, forcing a turnover on downs and sealing the victory. Despite Joey Porter's four tackles and Jamel Dean's interception, the Steelers couldn't quite overcome the Panthers' relentless offense when it mattered most.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Fields | QB | 41 | 22 | 54% | 340 | 3 | 0 | 105.7 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 35 | 22 | 63% | 321 | 4 | 3 | 95.0 |
| Haynes King | QB | 1 | 1 | 100% | 3 | 1 | 0 | 118.7 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 11 | 49 | 4.5 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Justin Fields | QB | 6 | 44 | 7.3 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 1 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | — | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 7 | 30 | 4.3 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Brashard Smith | HB | 6 | 20 | 3.3 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Legette | WR | 11 | 160 | 14.5 | 50 | 1 | 51 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 4 | 105 | 26.3 | 38 | 1 | 44 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 4 | 101 | 25.3 | 39 | 1 | 41 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 4 | 77 | 19.3 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 1 |
| Brashard Smith | HB | 2 | 45 | 22.5 | 29 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 2 | 35 | 17.5 | 7 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 5 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 4 | 21 | 5.3 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 3 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Scott | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L'Jarius Sneed | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tershawn Wharton | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaq Thompson | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Princely Umanmielen | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claudin Cherelus | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zakee Wheatley | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Carson Bruener | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kader Kohou | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |

