For a few minutes there, it looked like this might be a perfect night for the . and company marched right down the field on their opening drive of the game, covering 75 yards on nine plays, including a fourth-down conversion. They rode the whole way down the field, giving the diminutive back six touches, which totaled 60 yards and a score. And then very, very quickly, the completely took over the game Carter Kieboom Jersey and did not look back, rolling to a 52-21 win on "Thursday Night Football." Pittsburgh's first play from scrimmage was a 75-yard touchdown pa s to . Carolina's next play saw Cam Newton get pre sured deep in his own territory and decide to throw the ball up for grabs, and when he did, picked it off and returned it for a touchdown. Just 13 seconds after the Panthers had taken a 7-0 lead, they were down 14-7. Carolina went three and out on its next drive, and then the Steelers calmly stuffed the ball down the throats of the Panther defense with , who ended the drive with his 10th touchdown of the season. By the end of the first half, the Steelers had 296 total yards (11.8 per play) and 31 points, along with a 17-point lead. They never looked back, pouring it on even more in the second half. The overall numbers were overwhelming. Ben Roethlisberger finished 22 of 25 for 328 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a perfect 158.3 pa ser rating. Six different Steelers had multiple catches. Six different Steelers found the end zone by the end of the third quarter, and a seventh did so on the first snap of the fourth. (In order: Smith-Schuster, Williams, Conner, , , , and .) The Steelers converted all four of their red-zone trips into touchdowns on their way to scoring 52 points. They converted eight of nine third-down opportunities before things got completely out of hand, while holding the Panthers to four of 10. They sacked Cam Newton five times, James Bourque Jersey picked him once, and forced both him and into fumbles. In short, they a serted their dominance and made sure the Panthers had no chance. The Steelers once again look like an elite team, and they should be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time -- especially if and gives them yet another offensive weapon. Here are a few more things to know about Pittsburgh's shellacking of Carolina. Tree of Life tribute Tragedy struck the city of Pittsburgh recently when a gunman shot and killed 11 people at Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill in what was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Two of the victims were brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal, whose sister Michele used to be the Steelers' community relations manager. As he did last week, Steelers quarterback wore special clears designed to pay to the victims of the shooting. The cleats that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is wearing for tonights game against the Carolina Panthers, in honor and remembrance of the victims of the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue. . Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) But he wasn't the only QB on the field doing so. Cam Newton joined him in the tribute, wearing Steel City-themed cleats of his own. Cleats that Panthers QB Cam Newton is warming up in for tonights game in Pittsburgh, honoring the Tree Of Life Synagogue victims, via . Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) Themed cleats obviously do not totally heal a city but the quarterbacks making sure to remember those who lost their lives is still worthy of respect. James Conner is really good, but may be banged up Le'Veon's backup ain't bad, huh? Conner carried 13 times for 65 yards and a score, his 10th of the season. He may have gotten his fifth straight 100-yard game if the Steelers didn't go up by so many points ... and Trea Turner Jersey if he didn't suffer a head injury at some point. Conner was checked in the blue medical tent during the third quarter, but apparently was cleared to come back in the game a bit later. James Conner is getting checked out in the blue tent. Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) As for Conner: Dr. Maroon -- the concu sion doctor -- comes out of the tent with the independent neurologist. No update yet Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) Conner emerges and grabs his helmet Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) During the break between the third and fourth quarters, however, TV cameras spotted Mike Tomlin telling Conner to head back to the locker room. He did just that, where he was evaluated for a concu sion. Erick Fedde Jersey Conner getting evaluated for a concu sion again. Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) That's definitely not a great sign, but the good news for Pittsburgh is they have 10 days before their next game ... and they may get Bell back and be able to give Conner as long as he needs to fully recover from a potential head injury. McCaffrey's blow-up game gets overshadowed McCaffrey had six touches for 60 yards and a touchdown on the opening drive, including a 20-yard score on a wheel route. . to ses to for the Carolina TD!60 total yards for McCaffrey on the ' opening drive. : + +: NFL (@NFL) Considering the Steelers had come into the game as one of the 's stingiest teams when it came to defending running backs in the pa sing game, it was quite impre sive that he got off that quickly. But then McCaffrey hit the Steelers with another touchdown on the very same route later in the game. McCaffrey has now scored 2 TDs in each of the past 3 games. His 25-yard reception here cuts Pittsburgh lead to 24-14. But Panthers will never win this game unle s they can get some stops. Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) The second-year back ended the night with 138 total yards and three scores on 19 touches. He was really good! Unfortunately, the rest of his team was so bad that it didn't matter. Don't forget the defense Speaking of players with standout games, how about inside linebacker Vince Williams? He put the Steelers into the lead just a few minutes in with his pick-six of Newton on a busted play. . pre sures Cam and returns the interception to the HOUSE!Quick 14 points for the . : + +: NFL (@NFL) On the very next drive, he came flying in for a sack to shut down any chance of the Panthers moving the ball downfield. He finished the night with four tackles (one for lo s), a sack, a pa s defensed, one additional hit on Newton, and that touchdown. He wasn't the only defender with some big numbers. finished with two tackles for lo s, two sacks, and two QB hits. added a sack and two tackles for lo s. and completely shut down the Panthers' perimeter pa sing attack. The latest on Le'Veon You may Javy Guerra Jersey have heard that Pittsburgh's usual starting running back, Le'Veon Bell, has still yet to report to the team. Bell was franchise-tagged this offseason and was not thrilled about that, so he's simply stayed away all year. Is he getting closer to a return? Well, nobody really knows. What we do know is that he is now in Pittsburgh. And according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the team apparently wants him back very badly. RB LeVeon Bell is in town.