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The final week of the NFL preseason wrapped up Thursday night with two notable matchups. The Pittsburgh Steelers leaned on kicker Ben Sauls to edge the Carolina Panthers 19-10, while the New York Giants overwhelmed the New England Patriots 42-10 in East Rutherford, N.J.
Steelers 19, Panthers 10
Kicker Ben Sauls was the difference-maker, going 4-for-4 on field goals, including three in the second half, as Pittsburgh (2-1) secured a road victory in Charlotte.
Quarterback Skylar Thompson paced the offense with an 11-for-13 performance for 152 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown to Lance McCutcheon. Mason Rudolph started but managed only 36 yards with an interception, while Logan Woodside added 38 passing yards.
Scotty Miller stood out among receivers with three catches for 82 yards, while Trey Sermon led the ground game with 39 yards on four carries.
Carolina (0-3) used Jack Plummer in the first half, who finished 7-for-14 with 48 yards, one interception, and a 7-yard TD strike to James Mitchell. Bryce Perkins relieved him effectively, completing 10 of 11 passes for 71 yards. Raheem Blackshear added 35 rushing yards.
Key Stats – Steelers vs. Panthers
| Category | Steelers | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Leader | Skylar Thompson – 152 yds, 1 TD | Bryce Perkins – 71 yds |
| Rushing Leader | Trey Sermon – 39 yds | Raheem Blackshear – 35 yds |
| Receiving Leader | Scotty Miller – 82 yds | James Mitchell – 1 TD |
| Kicker | Ben Sauls – 4/4 FGs | Eddy Pineiro – 1/1 FG |
Giants 42, Patriots 10
The Giants (3-0) closed preseason in dominant fashion, scoring 28 unanswered second-half points behind backup QB Tommy DeVito, who threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-20 passing.
Rookie Jaxson Dart started the game and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Greg Dulcich before exiting with a head injury. Jameis Winston entered briefly and hit Jalin Hyatt on a 27-yard scoring strike. Dart later cleared concussion protocol but did not return.
Defensively, TJ Moore provided fireworks with a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second half.
For the Patriots (2-1), rookie QB Ben Wooldridge played the entire game, finishing 10-for-20 for 82 yards with a TD and an interception. Jeremiah Webb caught the lone New England touchdown.
Key Stats – Giants vs. Patriots
| Category | Giants | Patriots |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Leader | Tommy DeVito – 198 yds, 3 TDs | Ben Wooldridge – 82 yds, 1 TD |
| Rushing Leader | Eric Gray – 41 yds | Kevin Harris – 28 yds |
| Receiving Leader | Jalin Hyatt – 1 TD | Jeremiah Webb – 31 yds, 1 TD |
| Defense Highlight | TJ Moore – 44-yd INT TD | – |
Looking Ahead
With preseason wrapped, teams now prepare for Week 1 of the NFL regular season. The Steelers and Giants will carry momentum into September, while the Panthers and Patriots look to regroup before the games begin to count.
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