STEELERS 101

In a game highlighted by players sitting on the bubble, the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the Carolina Panthers 10-3 at halftime of the preseason finale.

Yes, many of the stars were out, but this was an entertaining first half. The Steelers jumped out to the early lead on a five-play 80-yard drive capped by a 37-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Batch to Emmanuel Sanders. On the drive, Batch went 2-for-2 and looked in total control of the offense.

Unfortunately, the penalty bug came out, nullifying not one, but two Chris Rainey punt returns for touchdowns (78 and 90 yards) before the Steelers got the ball rolling again. Led by Batch and hard running by Jonathan Dwyer, the Steelers moved the ball down the field for a Shaun Suisham 49-yard field goal to boost the lead to 10-0.

The Panthers came back with a solid drive of their own, moving 73 yards in 17 plays before settling for a 31-yard field goal.  The drive was also time-consuming, taking 7:23 off the clock.

Offensively Dwyer looks like a weapon in the making, running tonight with a sound mixture of speed and power. In all, he carried the ball 13 times for 63 yards (4.84 YPC) with a long of 18-yards. Batch finished the first half 11-of-14 for 102 yards and one touchdown.

One defensive player that looked good was undrafted rookie free agent linebacker Adrian Robinson, who showed versatility against the run and in coverage. Robinson has had a solid camp and may work his way onto the roster with a good special teams performance. Veteran nose tackle Casey Hampton returned to action after missing most of preseason with his ACL injury.

On a down note, Steelers cornerback Curtis Brown left the game with a left knee injury and will not return. At this point, there is no update on the severity of the injury.

Tags: Adrian Robinson, Carolina Panthers, Charlie Batch, Chris Rainey, Curtis Brown, Football, Jonathan Dwyer, NFL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers

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