The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-25 in their first outing of the 2025 season. An outing that was highly anticipated, given the unusually active offseason for the normally stoic Steelers front office.
Big-name acquisitions such as D.K. Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Aaron Rodgers were just a few of the 18 starters who did not participate in the game, but that left us no less excited for our first glimpse of the 2025 Steelers.
Below are my final thoughts on the preseason victory, which, of course, is to be taken with a Darnell Washington-sized grain of salt.
Winners
Broderick Jones
Nobody faces more pressure on the Steelers’ team than 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones. The subject of heavy scrutiny throughout 2024, Jones returns to his “natural” position at left tackle – tasked with protecting the 41 year old Aaron Rodgers’ blind side.
After struggling through the early going of training camp, all eyes were on Jones as he was one of six starters to play against Jacksonville. The story of his night was pleasantly underwhelming. Broderick Jones’ name wasn’t called, which meant he protected well, completely nulling the Jaguars’ pass rush, none better than on the first score of the game.
It was a big win for Broderick Jones, and nobody needed it more.
Cole Holcomb
With all eyes on rookies, quarterbacks, and questionable left tackles, Cole Holcomb may have played the most important 24 snaps of the game. His 24 snaps may not have been the most important to the outcome of the game, but nobody’s snaps meant more to them than Holcomb’s meant to himself.
It was the first time he would play in an NFL game since his brutal career-threatening knee injury on November 2nd, 2023. Holcomb overcame rigorous rehab to fight for his spot on the team and appeared to play loose and free of physical limitation. He figures to see significant playing time in 2025 as the third inside linebacker.
Skylar Thompson
Before even stepping on a practice field in 2025, Skylar Thompson was QB4, a “camp arm”, and an inevitable cut as Steelers fans watched Mason Rudolph sign, cheered as Will Howard was drafted, and awaited a decision from Aaron Rodgers.
Will Howard’s injury gave Skylar Thompson the unexpected opportunity of significant playing time in the Steelers’ first preseason game. Thompson played 48 snaps to Rudolph’s 14, completing 20/28 passes for 233 yards and 3 TDs.
Will Skylar Thompson ultimately end up as QB4 or be cut? Probably. But he put some very sharp film on the table for some always QB-needy teams to look at. Thompson should continue to get extended reps which could bolster his stock right onto an NFL roster when the season begins.
Losers
Will Howard
It’s not fair to kick a man when he’s down, or rub salt in the broken pinky finger, but his lost opportunity to show himself was just that – a loss. This preseason very well could (have been) more important to Howard than anyone on the Steelers roster.
With an impressive showing, he could make the Steelers think twice about their not-so-secret plan to select a QB in round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Yes, it’s only preseason and he’s a late round developmental QB, but so was Brock Purdy, and that Brady guy.
The offense looked cohesive and well executed, to the degree we haven’t seen in years. Of course, it’s only preseason and ultimately means very little, but it would have been great to see Will Howard be a part of it and benefit from it.
We only hope his ability to recover from injury is as great as his attitude, if so, we’ll be seeing him before August is out.
Run Game
The Steelers ran the ball 25 times for 66 yards in the game, for a measly average of 2.6 yards per carry. For a team to be built on a strong run game, that simply is not good enough.
Three-fifths of the starting offensive line didn’t play in the game, which is a huge factor, of course, but the group looked out of sync and generated no push along the line of scrimmage. Many eyes were on third-round pick Kaleb Johnson as he carried the ball 8 times for only 20 yards.
There hasn’t been an overwhelming emphasis on the run game in training camp yet. With a bevvy of new receivers and a new QB, a lot of focus has been on the passing attack, which was aces against Jacksonville.
A successful rushing attack takes patience, not only in training camp and preseason, but within a game. Be patient, and the run game will come; these are the Steelers we’re talking about, after all.
Mark Robinson
After years of searching for inside linebackers of merit, it’s finally a strength on the Steelers’ defense once again. The room is a deep one, consisting of Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, and Malik Harrison. That kind of depth creates a dog fight for the final linebacker spot(s).
To make a roster at that deep of a position, you must be a heavy contributor on special teams. Seventh round pick Carson Bruener was just that, tallying three tackles on kickoffs alone.
Bruener and Robinson are tangled up in a presumed battle for very limited roster spots. A battle that I believe Bruener landed the first punch in on Saturday night.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Good
Good isn’t good enough. The offense was better than good; it was great. It’s preseason, of course, and a grand total of three offensive starters saw the field for a combined 42 snaps, but an outpouring of production isn’t what we were looking for.
The offense was well executed and versatile. We saw a combination of formations, throws outside the numbers, and across the historically avoided middle of the field. A well-timed mix of play action and screen passes, none better than the third quarter touchdown to running back Trey Sermon..
This is the Arthur Smith offense, not whatever it was we watched last year. Now we’re ready to see Aaron Rodgers and company execute as well or better when it matters.
Bad
The only bad thing I can take from this game is how fast it can turn. Steelers fans know better than anyone how deceiving preseason momentum can be. I don’t need to get into any specifics. You all know what I’m talking about.
Ugly
The Cam Heyward holdout. On par with the T.J. Watt extension, as Steelers fans, we come to expect these things to get worked out without much drama, but we’re inching closer to real football. Let’s not let this thing get ugly.
Final Thought
Eternal optimism can be scary, but that’s what I’m leaving this game with. Again, it’s preseason and means little to nothing, but we saw nothing but positivity from most of the biggest questions heading into the game. We can only hope the team carries that momentum, stays healthy, and rolls into the regular season with the same edge they have shown in training camp and one game into the 2025 preseason.
