Carolina Panthers final preseason game preview vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Carolina Panthers finalize preseason play at home versus a familiar opponent.
The Carolina Panthers are celebrating their silver anniversary this season with 25 years of playing professional football. In 21 of those seasons, the Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers met during preseason play in order to help one another prepare for the games that count, including this year’s seventeenth consecutive match up.
Carolina is currently 1-2 and although there’s no correlation to preseason performance translating to the final standings, the Panthers have only ever finished 1-3 under Ron Rivera one other time. During his first year in Charlotte (2011), the team finished with just one victory and an eventual 6-10 record.
Pittsburgh is 3-0 and although this game is expected to be played by mostly backups and guys fighting for a roster position, you can bet Mike Tomlin would love to finish out these preliminary contests without a loss.
2019 PRESEASON: CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-2) vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (3-0)
KICKOFF: Thursday, August 29 at 7:00pm ET
TV: NFL Network
ONLINE: FuboTV Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!
LOCATION: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
WEATHER: 80 degrees, 60% humidity, 5mph NNE wind, 0% precipitation
LAST MEETING: 52-21, STEELERS – November 8, 2018 (Week 10)
WHAT TO WATCH:
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While fans may have a hard time getting excited about the preseason, there will be four key position battles taking place on Thursday night worth watching. With roster cuts beginning almost immediately after the final whistle, players at these positions have one live opportunity left to impress.
On offense, both the backup quarterback and running back positions remain up in the air. Behind Cam Newton, Kyle Allen is the current front-runner but if rookie Will Grier has performed well enough to warrant keeping a third quarterback remains to be seen. Cameron Artis-Payne leads the pack behind Christian McCaffrey but the race for who else can make the cut has been tight.
Opposite, their could be some surprises up front as Carolina shifts from a 4-3 defensive front to a 3-4 this season. Behind them, both roles at cornerback behind James Bradberry and Donte Jackson remain wide open. If one of the remaining candidates can make a splash against Pittsburgh, it could help determine depth at their position.
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All NFL teams must finalize their initial 53-man rosters prior to the 4:00 PM ET deadline on Saturday (8/31).