2017 Preseason Stats That Stood Out
The preseason is finally over, and what a way to end it! Quarterback Joshua Dobbs led the Steelers offense on a five-play, 53-yard drive that culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by Dobbs with two seconds left to win the game. Let’s take a look at the stats that stood out from this game.
113
Joshua Dobbs posted a QB rating of 113.0 which was easily his highest of the postseason. He completed 16 of 23 pass attempts (69.6%) for 212 yards, a touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Hunter, and the game-winning rushing touchdown.
89
Running back Terrell Watson rushed for 89 yards on 19 carries (4.7 average). None of Watson’s 37 carries through the entire preseason went for negative yardage and only three of his carries didn’t gain any yards. His consistency and downhill running is exactly why he made the 53-man roster over veterans Knile Davis and Fitzgerald Toussaint.
83
Wide receiver Marcus Tucker caught five passes for a game-high 83 yards with 49 of them coming on the game-winning drive. He only gained 14 yards through the previous 3 games, although there were many missed opportunities due to poor passes. Tucker was one of 10 players signed to the Steelers practice squad.
58
Not only was the 58-yard touchdown connection from Dobbs to Hunter huge in what was a closely fought game, it was also the longest pass play for the Steelers in the entire 2017 preseason. Justin Hunter earned a spot on the roster over other receivers such as Cobi Hamilton (cut) and Sammie Coates (traded to Browns for a sixth round pick).
33
The Steelers cut 33 players to meet the 53-man roster requirement. Some notable names included wide receiver Demarcus Ayers, the Steelers 2016 7th round draft pick, running back Knile Davis, who they signed during the offseason, cornerback Senquez Golson, a 2015 second round draft pick who failed to stay healthy during his three years in the black and gold, and tight end David Johnson, who lost his spot due to the Steelers trading for Vance McDonald and the emergence of Xavier Grimble.
9
The Steelers were penalized nine times for 77 yards. Normally, since it is the preseason, this stat would be more expected than infuriating, but the fact that a majority of them were committed by players that made the roster makes this stat stand out. The most noticeable ones were James Conner’s unnecessary roughness penalty on a special teams tackle and Bud Dupree‘s second unnecessary roughness penalty in as many games. Hopefully, when the games start counting and the starters are out on the field, the yellow flags stay in the refs’ pockets.
4
The Steelers defense forced four turnovers – three interceptions and one fumble recovery. Safety Jacob Hagen notched the first turnover with an interception at the end of the first half. Safety Malik Golden intercepted a Joe Webb pass one minute into the third quarter, inside linebacker L.J. Fort recovered a fumble near the end of the third quarter, and inside linebacker Matt Galambos rounded up the night with the team’s third interception in the fourth quarter. Fort made the team’s final roster and Galambos was added to the practice squad.
0
Although the defense was able to force four turnovers, the offense was unable to capitalize on any of the opportunities ending the night with zero points off turnovers. The Hagen interception deserves a pass since it happened at the end of the half, but the next two turnovers were followed up by 3 and out’s and the last possession ended with a punt. Obviously, these aren’t particularly concerning being that it is the preseason, but once the regular season starts, this will be a stat to watch.
Look out for the next “Stats That Stood Out” article after the Week 1 matchup between the Steelers and Browns!
