ARTHUR MOATS
Outside Linebacker
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – On a night that began with a rookie grabbing the spotlight, it was a veteran who picked things up from there and helped the Steelers secure a 20-12 victory over the New York Giants in the preseason opener for both teams.
Arthur Moats, who was listed as the No. 3 left outside linebacker on the first depth chart of the 2017 season, was a factor in all of the different ways the Steelers like to deploy their outside linebackers. Moats finished the game with six tackles, and he added three sacks, plus an interception that set up the Chris Boswell field goal that gave the Steelers a 13-12 lead that they later expanded to 20-12.
Moats is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.
Also considered was the aforementioned rookie, T.J. Watt, who finished the game with five tackles, two sacks, and a pass defensed. On the first two sacks of his professional career, Watt took advantage of mistakes made by the Giants, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Mike Hilton, the first-year cornerback from Mississippi, continued the playmaking that has characterized his training camp to this point in the process. Hilton finished with four tackles, one of which came on a fourth-and-2 from the Steelers 45-yard line and turned the ball over on downs to the Pittsburgh offense. Hilton also had three tackles on special teams and recovered a muffed punt, and the takeaway set up the Steelers' first touchdown of the night, which came on a 28-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs to Landry Jones.
Speaking of Hamilton, he finished with two catches for 72 yards, including that touchdown; Jordan Berry averaged 45.8 yards on his six punts, and the Giants were able to return four of those for only 8 total yards; undrafted rookie linebacker Keith Kelsey had three tackles and a pass defensed on defense, plus two more tackles on special teams; and first-year running back Terrell Watson finished with 44 yards on 10 carries, including a 15-yard touchdown.
