Steelers use running game, defense to defeat Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t want this third quarter to resemble so many others they had put on display this season.

They didn’t want to have an all-too-familiar three-and-out. Or two. Or a drive that resulted in a field goal. They wanted a touchdown, something they had achieved just once in the quarter the entire season.

It took a while Sunday, but the Steelers accomplished their goal at Bank of America Stadium. Piecing together a 21-play drive that was the longest in the NFL this season, the Steelers got that elusive touchdown, and it helped propel them to a 24-16 against the Carolina Panthers.

The drive covered 91 yards — actually 106 if penalty yardage is included — and took 11 minutes, 43 seconds off the clock, representing the longest possession for the Steelers in 45 years. When quarterback Mitch Trubisky stretched over the pile from 1 yard for the touchdown, the Steelers held a 21-7 lead that never was in serious jeopardy the rest of the way.

Related:

• Mike Tomlin: Steelers show lack of smarts by committing 3 personal fouls in win at Carolina
• With Mitch Trubisky at QB, Diontae Johnson turns in a perfect 10 in Steelers' win over Panthers

“It showed we could be consistent when everyone does the right thing and we minimize mistakes,” said wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who had half of his season-high 10 receptions on the possession. “It shows what we can do when everybody plays as one. When we get that rhythm going, it’s hard to stop us.”

Such offensive symmetry has happened all too infrequently this season, which is a reason the Steelers own a 6-8 record with three games remaining.

But with Trubisky running the offense in place of a concussed Kenny Pickett, the Steelers converted 12 times on third down, rushed for 156 yards and dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides against the 5-9 Panthers.

Trubisky completed 17 of 22 passes for 179 yards, and, in a departure last week against Baltimore when he threw three interceptions, he didn’t commit a turnover to win a start for the first time since the season opener.

“I know what I can do in this league,” Trubisky said. “Moreso it feels good to be able to get this opportunity and come through and have my teammates trust in me. We had a plan, and we executed it.”

The execution was at its finest on the opening drive of the second half, which began with the Steelers holding a 14-7 lead.

“Coming out of the half, I said we had to come out fast,” running back Najee Harris said “because sometimes we come out slow.”

It began ominously when a personal foul on the kickoff by special teams captain Miles Killebrew put the ball on the Steelers 9. Through 13 games, the Steelers had managed one touchdown and five field goals in the third quarter. Then, Trubisky took the field and improbably moved the offense downfield. The Steelers had eight first downs and converted all five third-down chances on the possession.

Related:

• Feats of Strength: Steelers win run game battle, 3rd downs, red zone en route to victory over Carolina
• Madden Monday: Steelers 'would’ve been smarter to play Mitch Trubisky all season'
• First Call: T.J. Watt's milestone; J.J. Watt's big day; Raiders set to face Steelers after unreal win over Patriots

Johnson caught five passes for 54 yards, yet he extended the drive by 15 yards with his own personal foul for taunting after a catch that had given the Steelers a first down at the Panthers 7.

Seven plays later, though, Trubisky nudged the ball over the plane of the goal line, and the Steelers took a 21-7 lead. When Chris Boswell kicked the extra point, just 3 minutes, 17 secondds remained in the quarter.

“That really set the tone for the rest of the game,” Trubisky said.

It came after a first half in which the Steelers scored touchdowns on their opening two possessions: on a 7-yard run by Najee Harris and a 2-yarder by backup Jaylen Warren. Those drives lasted 12 and 10 plays, respectively, and, perhaps most importantly, didn’t end with field goals.

“We knew we had to take advantage of it,” Harris said. “We had to control the clock and keep our defense off the field because we knew it was going to come down to possessions.”

While the Steelers rushed for 156 yards, including a game-high 86 by Harris, the Panthers totaled just 21 on 16 attempts, a preposterous thought entering the game. Not only had the Steelers allowed 215 yards a week earlier to Baltimore, the Panthers had amassed 223 yards on the ground in a win against Seattle.

“That’s a testament to guys buying in this week,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “It’s a process that has to keep growing.”

By stopping the run, the Steelers were able to harass Panthers starter Sam Darnold. The former No. 3 overall draft pick was sacked four times, with T.J. Watt and Heyward getting 1 1/2 apiece and Charlotte native Alex Highsmith getting the other.

It was the most sacks for the Steelers since they had seven in the season opener.

“If the runs, not working, they have to go to something else, and that’s where it comes from,” Watt said about the pass rush.

The only downside to the win was that it did nothing to help the Steelers in the tiebreaker department as long as they remain alive in the improbable chase for the final wild-card berth. Four of their six wins have come at the expense of the mediocre NFC South.

Still, it was a display of what can happen when the Steelers protect the football. They are 6-1 this season when they don’t commit a turnover.

“That was the emphasis, and I was going to do that,” Trubisky said. “I thought we did that, and it helped us a win game.”