The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Saturday for the third time of the 2024 preseason when they traveled to play the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of preseason action. The Steelers were losers in the contest, but that doesn’t mean every player had a good or bad performance.

Players who play well can be considered ‘Winners’, while those who left a lot to be desired can be called ‘Losers’. It may sound harsh, but it is the crux of this exercise.

Let’s check in to see who fell on which side of the ledger after the latest game…

Winners

Starting Offensive Line
Stat Line: 1 sack, 2 scoring drives

The Steelers offensive line was highly scrutinized throughout the early stages of the preseason, but the starting unit took a big step in the right direction vs. the Lions. If you include Justin Fields’ time on the field as playing with the “starters”, the offensive line surrendered just one sack and did exponentially better than the previous two weeks in both run blocking and pass blocking. A much needed step in the right direction.

Cordarrelle Patterson
Stat Line: 3 carries, 31 yards, 10.3 ave., 1 TD, 31 long

There were fans wondering what Patterson would bring to the Steelers if he wasn’t going to be returning kickoffs, something he didn’t do during the preseason, but he proved what he can do as a runner with his 31-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Patterson might still have some juice in his veteran legs, and with Jaylen Warren nursing a hamstring injury he might need to have a larger role than most anticipated when the regular season rolls around.

Nick Herbig
Stat Line: 3 tackles, 3 solo, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 1 QB Hit

Nick Herbig tears up the preseason, and this is now the second straight year he’s done so. The stat line shouldn’t shock anyone, but you have to believe the Steelers have to find a way to get him on the field more in the regular season. Herbig’s speed and athleticism is undeniable, and while no one is calling for him to take over for someone like Alex Highsmith, he has proven worthy of more playing time to give the starting duo a break if need be.

Sack Party
Stat Line: 5 sacks, 6 QB Hits

The Steeles who started the game on defense were flying around Hendon Hooker every time he dropped back to pass. The only difference was when the back-ups came in they were unable to get to Hooker like Herbig, etc. were able to do. Nonetheless, it was a sack party for the first half of the game, and it was great to see.

Cory Trice
Stat Line: 2 tackles, 2 solo, 1 TFL

With Joey Porter Jr. being held out of the game for precautionary reasons, it meant Cory Trice got the start vs. Detroit. Trice did a great job throughout the game, especially showing his physicality in the run game. Throughout the preseason there has been talk of Trice being CB3 on the depth chart, but also playing the dime cornerback role as well. He’s rounded into form nicely, but it was disappointing to hear Mike Tomlin say after the game Trice left with a groin injury. While it might not be major, any setback for a player like Trice could be crippling for his shot at playing time.

QB Clarity
Stat Line: Russell’s job to lose

After the game Mike Tomlin was asked if he is ready to make a decision on the Steelers starting quarterback position heading into Week 1 of the regular season. He said he’d make that decision my the end of the week, but if I’m a betting man I would guess the job is Russell Wilson’s barring something strange happening. What could possibly happen? Maybe Wilson has a run-in with another blocking sled between now and Week 1. Other than that, I’d bet a significant amount of money the job is Wilson’s to lose at this point. Not only did Wilson pass the proverbial test vs. Detroit, but his early exit from the game should more than show who is the leader in the clubhouse. While it isn’t official, yet, it is good to have some clarity with the position.

Losers

Back-up Defense
Stat Line: 3rd and 4th string is tough to watch

Every year I forget how tough it is to watch the final preseason game of the year. You feel as if the play shouldn’t drop off a cliff, yet every year it does. You go from second string players doing their jobs and upholding the standard, to players who will one day record the game and show their grandkids that they did play in the NFL at one time. It’s the harsh reality, but the product gets real sloppy real fast. It’s tough to watch, and the missed assignments and tackles by the defense was tough when you get down to 3rd and 4th string players.

Run Defense
Stat Line: DET 41 carries, 187 yards, 2 TDs

Speaking of bad defense, the Steelers run defense once the likes of Larry Ogunjobi, Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig and others left was difficult to watch. As stated earlier, poor tackling, run fits, and approach angles all aided in the Lions running all over the Steelers defense. Not a good look when it comes to the depth on the team.

Slot CB Position
Stat Line: Who knows who will play there?

While I did say the talk was Cory Trice potentially playing some slot cornerback, there is no guaranteed answer at the position until Cam Sutton returns from suspension after 8 games. Beanie Bishop? Highly doubtful. To me, there is a better chance of someone from outside the organization being the slot cornerback than Bishop getting the job out of the gate after battling injury. There is no real answer at the position, and this should be a big time issue heading into games that actually count.

2024 Preseason
Stat Line: 0-3 and absolutely brutal

This preseason was brutal from top-to-bottom. Before training camp I told fans, and you can check my “Let’s Ride” podcasts as receipts, not to buy into any results from the preseason. I held true to that sentiment and won’t genuinely react to results until they, you know, count. But this preseason for everything which transpired as bad. Sometimes it was gut-wrenching. The poor play, the injuries, the lack of consistency. Time to trim the roster to 53 and start fine tuning the team for the regular season. As for me, I say good riddance to the 2024 preseason.

If you want a more detailed look at the above list, check out my “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below where I outline each Winner and Loser, and MORE!