Former Vols QB Josh Dobbs leads Steelers on game-winning drive in fourth NFL Preseason game
Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs led the Pittsburgh Steelers on a game-winning drive in their final 2017 NFL preseason game.
Related Story: Top 10 former Vols in the NFL for 2017
Josh Dobbs is a far cry from the start of his first NFL preseason game, when he threw two interceptions. After seeing action in the third preseason game to prove the Pittsburgh Steelers were serious about him, he delivered the best encore ever in his fourth one.
The former Vols star led a game-winning drive to beat the Carolina Panthers 17-14. It was vintage Dobbs all the way until the end.
And yes, we mean all the way until the end. Dobbs ran four yards for the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left on the clock.
Here’s a look at the play.
Tennessee football fans have seen that all too often. And it’s been intriguing to watch Dobbs progress.
Sure, he returned to going up against backups again. But going16-of-23 for 212 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions while running for another touchdown was still impressive.
By the way, Dobbs’s touchdown pass was to another former Vol.
He threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter in the second quarter that gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead. Take a look at that pass here.
After playing inconsistent early, Dobbs seems to be showing fans that he will get better if he gets time to learn the offense. He actually played better than Landry Jones in this game.
Meanwhile, Hunter is trying to get a new start to his career after struggling for three years with the Tennessee Titans and playing for the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills last year.
He was solid as well, catching three passes for 75 yards, including that 58-yard touchdown.
As a result, Dobbs and Hunter both generated headlines for this game.
Dobbs showed that he can progress. And in a year, maybe he will be the No. 2 guy to Ben Roethlisberger.
Then, in two or three years, maybe he’ll be the guy ready to start. He has progressed very well since the beginning of his first start the first preseason game, throwing two interceptions early.
Next: Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech: 10 Keys to the game
It showed with Mike Tomlin’s decision to put him in late in the third NFL preseason game, which is supposed to be the dress rehearsal game. Each game was better than the previous one for Dobbs. And who knows? Maybe he’ll step in one day and have Hunter as a go-to receiver.