[feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”arrows-h”]Game Week Timeline
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[feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”medkit”]INJURY REPORT
FRIDAY
PANTHERSDoubtful: RB Fozzy Whittaker (quad)Questionable: WR Jason Avant (hamstring), WR Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring), RB DeAngelo Williams (hamstring)Probable: T Byron Bell (toe), WR Kelvin Benjamin (knee), WR Philly Brown (ankle), T Nate Chandler (toe), DT Colin Cole (not injury related), LB Thomas Davis (hip), DT Dwan Edwards (back), TE Greg Olsen (calf), RB Mike Tolbert (chest), T Garry Williams (hip)STEELERSDoubtful: RB Dri Archer (ankle)Questionable: G Ramon Foster (ankle)Probable: WR Martavis Bryant (shoulder), DE Brett Keisel (not injury related), DT Steve McLendon (shoulder), TE Heath Miller (not injury related), WR Lance Moore (groin), S Troy Polamalu (not injury related)[feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”list-ul”]STATS AND SUCH
Kickoff: Sunday at 8:30
TV: NBC; Play-by-Play: Al Michael; Analyst: Cris Collinsworth; Sideline: Michele Tafoya
- Series history: Steelers lead series, 4-1. The two teams have met 16 times in the preseason, including each of the last 12 years, but this is only their sixth regular-season matchup. The Panthers’ only win in the series came in their first meeting on 12/22/96.
- In their last meeting, Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen was 10-of-23 for 72 yards with 0 TDs and an INT during a 22-7 loss on 12/23/10. WR Steve Smith had three receptions for 17 yards.
- Panthers’ best performances in the series: rushing yards: 90, Fred Lane at Pit (12/26/99); receiving yards: 160, Patrick Jeffers at Pitt (12/26/99); passing yards: 263, Steve Beuerlein at Pitt (12/26/99).
- Panthers:
- defense is ranked fifth in yards allowed (293.5), seventh in rushing yards allowed (86.0) and second in points allowed (10.5).
- are ranked first in turnover differential (+6).
- haven’t started 3-0 since 2003, their Super Bowl season.
- have won eight straight regular-season home games.
- are 14-2 over their last 16 games, which is the best record in the NFL over that timeframe.
- are 13-1 over their last 14 regular-season games, which is the best 14-game span in franchise history.
- have allowed a 100-yard rusher once in their last 22 games (Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller, 9/15/13)
- have won three straight and five of their last six against the AFC.
- are 13-17 all-time in primetime games.
- have rushed for 13,478 rushing yards since 2008, the most in the NFL.
- WR Kelvin Benjamin leads NFC rookies with 138 receiving yards.
- WR Jerricho Cotchery spent the last three seasons seasons with the Steelers. He had a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2013.
- DE Charles Johnson needs two more sacks to move ahead of Mike Rucker (55.5) for the second-most sacks in team history.
- DT Dwan Edwards, who had 2.5 sacks this season, has 11.5 sacks in 27 games with Carolina after totaling 5.5 in his previous 83 career games.
- CB Antoine Cason needs one more interception to join DeAngelo Hall as the only active players with multiple interceptions in each of their first seven seasons.
- Steelers:
- QB Ben Roethlisberger is 2-0 in his career against the Panthers, with 445 pass yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
- RB Le’Veon Bell leads the AFC with 304 scrimmage yards (168 rush, 136 rec.).
- WR Antonio Brown, who leads the AFC with 206 receiving yards, has had at least five catches and 50 receiving yards in 18 consecutive games.
[feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”quote-left”]QUOTES TO NOTE
[accordion_item title=”Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin”]RE: What Panthers are getting out of former Steeler WR Jerricho Cotchery
“Cotchery is an easy guy to like. He’s a great teammate. He’s a more you can do type of guy. He’ll do anything to help the team win and he’s extremely low maintenance. I just can’t say enough good, positive things about Jerricho and what he did for us when he was here and will always appreciate it.”
RE: Derek Anderson tweeted not to sell tickets to Steelers fans. On their support from fans while traveling
“Derek must be calling on his Cleveland experience. It’s something that we appreciate. It’s not something we take for granted. We realize that there’s responsibility that comes with that and the responsibility is to entertain our fans and we take that very seriously.”
[accordion_item title=”Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger”]
Thoughts on Panthers defense
“I think one of the biggest compliments I can pay them is that they do it without trying to trick you, they just straight up beat you. I think that is so impressive, because nowadays you see so many exotic things when it comes to defenses and from them it seems like they just line up and beat you man for man.”
What do you miss about Jerricho Cotchery?
“I miss everything, from on the field, his football play, his leadership, his awareness, his tenacity, his toughness, off the field having a leader, having a friend around, obviously I still have him as a friend. He was just such a great teammate and a player, one of the best I’ve ever played with. We miss him and I know how lucky Carolina and Cam and everybody is down there to have him.”
How did Cotchery score 10 touchdowns last year?
“Jerricho is really old, I always used to tease him, because I’m like a couple months older than him but it seems like he is a lot older than me. If you guys want to write that I said he’s really old, that will work. It is just the understanding of the game, he’s not the biggest, fastest, or strongest, but his toughness, understanding and desire makes him what he is and make him how good he is … He’s not a guy that gripes or complains about not getting enough catches, yards or touchdowns, he just goes and plays the game hard and good things happen for him.”
How convenient is it that you guys have such a wide fan base for all away games?
“It is awesome, everywhere we go we have a great fan following and it is one of the awesome things about playing for the Steelers. I know especially in Carolina when we go there in the preseason we always have a ton of fans so I’m hoping that there will be a bunch of them there and see some terrible towels flying and hopefully they may get loud on third down. It is just fun to see the black and gold everywhere we go.”
[/accordion][feature_headline type=”center” level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ icon=”laptop”]WHAT PITTSBURGH’S SAYING
SATURDAY
- Can Steelers’ Mitchell find Carolina cure? — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- Cam Newton to challenge Steelers’ defense – ESPN.com
- Leader of new wave of NFL quarterbacks awaits Steelers — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
FRIDAY
- Steelers’ Foster may not play in Carolina — ESPN.com
- Lance Moore hopes to see red (zone) in Steelers debut — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
THURSDAY
- ‘Unc’ Cotchery embraces familiar role — ESPN.com
- Cotchery influence helps Wheaton emerge — ESPN.com
- Steelers’ offense bracing for stern test — ESPN.com
- Steelers prep for the Kuechly challenge — steelers.com
- Polamalu relying on smarts as physical skills decline — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Lack of turnovers still huge issue — Pittsburgh Tribue-Review
- Mitchell to change tackling style to avoid fines — Pittsburgh Tribue-Review
WEDNESDAY
- Steelers defense a long way from ‘greatest of all time’ — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- ‘D’ to deal with Newton’s dual threat — steelers.com
- Sacks continue to plague right tackle Gilbert — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Steelers need to shore up run defense — ESPN.com
- Mike Tomlin compares Luke Kuechly to J.J. Watt — ESPN.com
- Mike Mitchell needs to return to form — ESPN.com
TUESDAY
- Ben Roethlisberger ‘still very sore’ — ESPN.com
- Steelers sticking with Marcus Gilbert — ESPN.com
- Next nuisance for Steelers defense is Cam Newton — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Lance Moore on track to make his debut — steelers.com
- Steelers not receiving big returns on their offseason investments — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review