Carolina
Panthers
2-1
27
FINAL
17
Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-2
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Carolina Panthers topped the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in a crucial Week 16 matchup, solidifying their playoff aspirations as the season winds down. With both teams vying for postseason positioning, this victory was vital for the Panthers in their quest for a wild card spot.
Chuba Hubbard led the ground game for Carolina, racking up 88 rushing yards, while Aaron Rodgers of the Steelers showcased his arm talent with 228 passing yards and two touchdowns. DK Metcalf was a bright spot for Pittsburgh, finishing with 92 receiving yards, but ultimately the Panthers’ balanced attack proved too much for the Steelers.
Defensively, the Panthers made their presence felt with Nic Scourton dominating the line of scrimmage, tallying an impressive 2.5 sacks. The game's turning point came when Tre'von Moehrig intercepted an errant pass from Rodgers, halting a potential scoring drive and allowing Carolina to maintain their lead. Despite Patrick Queen's 12 tackles for Pittsburgh, the Panthers' defensive pressure made all the difference in this tightly contested battle.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 32 | 17 | 228 | 2 | 1 | 83.8 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 25 | 17 | 173 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 15 | 88 | 5.9 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 9 | 63 | 7.0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 11 | 34 | 3.1 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 8 | 23 | 2.9 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 10 | 16 | 1.6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Kaleb Johnson | HB | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 92 | 18.4 | 1 | 26 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 4 | 61 | 15.3 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 6 | 53 | 8.8 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| John Metchie III | WR | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Kaleb Johnson | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 3 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nick Scott | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germaine Pratt | SAM | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Claudin Cherelus | SAM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevin Wallace | WILL | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maema Njongmeta | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lathan Ransom | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Lee III | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Jones II | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Brown III | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 55 |

