CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- And just like that, the Steelers' three-game winning streak in the preseason came crashing mercifully to a close.
But that was hardly the biggest thing to come out of this game, a 25-19 win by the Panthers over the Steelers here at Bank of America Stadium Thursday night.
No, the biggest splash coming out of this one was made by guys putting their best foot forward -- or not -- one final time before Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff make their decisions regarding who will remain part of this team and who will not, and what their roles, if any, might be.
In that case, the biggest winners coming out of this game were Mason Rudolph, Tuzar Skipper and Johnny Holton.
In under a quarter of playing time, Rudolph might have put his stamp on the No. 2 quarterback job and also helped Holton, a fourth-year player working with this third team, make this roster.
Following a Cam Sutton interception with 23 seconds remaining in the first half -- the Steelers' first of the preseason -- Rudolph and the second-team offense took possession of the ball at the Carolina 31 with 15 seconds remaining.
They did this:
"It was Randy's (Fichtner) call," Rudolph said of being aggressive following the turnover. "They were in Cover-1, which escapes me why they would do that. Johnny made a great play and got some separation and pulled away there at the end."
That ended Rudolph's night at 7 for 11 for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Holton caught all three passes thrown his way for 86 yards.
That included another reception from Rudolph that went for a 44-yard gain.
The play might have gone for a touchdown had the ball not been slightly underthrown or if Holton hadn't cut back and lost his footing.
But Holton, who had four fumbles on 17 career touches prior to joining the Steelers, finished off a strong preseason with seven catches for 187 yards, both of which trailed only James Washington for the team lead.
As for Rudolph, he'll await word from the coaching staff about who will be No. 2 and who will be No. 3 behind Ben Roethlisberger going into the regular season opener next weekend at New England.
Fichtner, the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, told the quarterbacks at their meeting on the first day of practice after cuts a year ago, naming Josh Dobbs the backup and Rudolph, then a rookie, the No. 3.
Those roles could be reversed this year.
"That's a coaching decision," Rudolph said. "I don't have any say in that. I control what I can control, which was in OTAs and offseason workouts and training camp. It's been a long season without football, and it's a long offseason. I tried to put my best foot forward and we'll see what the coaches think."
Given his stats -- 28 of 42 for 368 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in the preseason — compared Dobbs' 18 of 33 for 280 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, it would seem to lean heavily in favor of Rudolph.
Dobbs was 3 of 5 in this game for 21 yards and also scrambled once for 11 yards, but his stats paled by comparison to Rudolph's — not only in this game, but overall.
"I think I competed well. You can't control the final decision," Dobbs said.
And it seems Rudolph, a third-round pick a year ago, was better prepared for this than he was last season.
"I think he's taken a significant step," said Tomlin. "Not only in consistency and production, but just awareness and communication -- overall readiness. Like a lot of other second-year guys, I thought he came in physically ready from a conditioning standpoint. He carried that knowledge from last year's journey, so it's been a good process for him."
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