Steelers/NFL category, Page 209
Steelers’ path to the playoffs now clear: beat Browns, have Patriots, Dolphins lose
BALTIMORE – When 2023 began, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a 2% chance at making the playoffs. By the end of a wild New Year’s Day, their odds improved more than seven fold. And now, all they need is a win and a little help from their friends in Buffalo and...
Steelers’ playoff hopes still kicking after dramatic victory over Ravens
BALTIMORE — All of the pieces are in place for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play a meaningful game on the final weekend of the regular season. After getting the requisite help outside M&T Bank Stadium, the Steelers kept their once infinitesimal playoff hopes chugging into Week 18 with their third...
Steelers notes: Devin Bush benched, rookie Mark Robinson gets start at ILB
BALTIMORE — Was Sunday night the beginning of a changing of the guard at a high-profile position on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense? For the first snap of the Steelers’ first defensive series against the Baltimore Ravens, Devin Bush was not at inside linebacker. Neither was Myles Jack. Rookie Mark Robinson...
Malik Reed a healthy scratch for Steelers vs. Ravens
BALTIMORE — When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Malik Reed just before the season began, Reed immediately became their top backup at outside linebacker. Now, Reed isn’t even activated for games. For the second time in a four-game span, Reed is a healthy scratch. Reed was one of six inactives...
Steelers playoff chances improve slightly after Patriots defeat Dolphins, Seahawks top Jets
Hours before their Sunday night kickoff in Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Steelers got some good news when the Patriots defeated the Dolphins, 23-21. The good news continued when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New York Jets, 23-6. The Steelers (7-8) now have a 5% chance of reaching the playoffs as a...
Robert Spillane stepping up to stop the run in middle of Steelers defense
With Myles Jack bothered by a groin injury and the Pittsburgh Steelers seeking an inside linebacker to stay on the field for every defensive snap the past two weeks, they did not turn to Devin Bush, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Instead, they turned to another...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Numbers don’t lie for Steelers QB Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett ranks 31st among NFL quarterbacks in yards per attempt at 6.1. Pickett ranks 31st in yards per game at 185.5. Pickett ranks 31st with a passer rating of 75.7. Pickett ranks 33rd with a touchdown percentage of 1.5. Pickett ranks 27th with an interception percentage of 2.7. Pickett...
2022 Year in Review: Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, Franco Harris’ death among top stories in Pittsburgh sports
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the year began with a victory lap of sorts and one final playoff appearance for Ben Roethlisberger. It ended with the Steelers breaking in a new quarterback and reeling from the sudden loss of one of the franchise’s all-time great players. Before he retired, Roethlisberger guided...
Ravens make it official: Lamar Jackson again will miss a meeting vs. Steelers
Since the Baltimore Ravens drafted eventual MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2018, they will have played the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 10 times by the time Sunday’s meeting kicks off. Jackson will have started three of them. Jackson again will miss a game against the Steelers. That had been assumed for...
Players, coaches agree: Steelers-Ravens deserves reputation as NFL’s most physical
The time over which Steelers-Ravens is referenced as among the most — if not the most — physical and hardest-hitting rivalry in football can be measured not in years but by the decade. From television play-by-play announcers to the talking-head commentators on cable, the hype machine has promoted the two...
Myles Jack, Larry Ogunjobi questionable, but Terrell Edmunds returns for Steelers vs. Ravens
The defensive front seven figures to play a critical role for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Sunday game against the Baltimore Ravens. Two starters among that group might not play. Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and inside linebacker Myles Jack were listed as questionable on Friday’s status report. Ogunjobi has a...
To prep for Ravens, Steelers take extremely rare step of full pads for Friday practice
Montravius Adams and James Daniels have combined to be part of five NFL organizations and play 11 pro seasons. They’ve played an aggregate 143 NFL regular-season or playoff games, meaning they have been part of at least that many “game weeks” of preparation and practice. Neither can remember ever doing...
Friday Football Footnotes: Beyond stopping the run, here’s everything else the Steelers need to do to beat the Ravens
The analysis of the Baltimore Ravens’ 16-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11 was pretty simple. Baltimore ran the ball down the throats of the Steelers. To the tune of 215 yards. But Baltimore does that to a lot of teams — with or without Lamar Jackson at...
Steelers 4 Downs: Run game excelling in ‘power,’ short-yardage situations
1. ‘Power’ up When Derek Watt was stuffed on a third-and-1 play late in the second quarter of last week’s Christmas Eve game, it was jarring for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Watt had been perfect on fullback dives on short yardage this season — and so had just about everybody else...
‘Mister Irrelevant’ Tae Crowder hopes to make mark as newest Steelers linebacker
As recently as October, Tae Crowder was so valuable to what was then a team with one of the best records in the NFL that he never left the field on defense for three New York Giants early-season games. As recently as Halloween, Crowder was still a starter for the...
Ball-hawking Steelers lead NFL in interceptions
When word broke Wednesday that the Las Vegas Raiders were demoting Derek Carr for the rest of the season, that made it two season-long starting quarterbacks benched over the past three weeks in the days after a defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, quarterback killers? Might be a stretch,...
Terrell Edmunds returns to full practice for Steelers, as does Diontae Johnson
It appears encouraging that starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers lineup for Sunday’s game against the rival Baltimore Ravens. Edmunds returned to full practice Thursday, according to the injury report. Edmunds did not play in the Christmas Eve win against the Las Vegas Raiders and...
Determined Cam Heyward played at his best in 4th quarter of Steelers’ win vs. Raiders
If Cameron Heyward looked like he was a man on a mission Saturday night in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s because, well, he was. On a night when the Pittsburgh Steelers were honoring the late Franco Harris by retiring his jersey number, Heyward wouldn’t accept anything...
Tim Benz: Where the Steelers must improve their rush defense against the Ravens
In the week leading up to Round 2 of Steelers-Ravens for this season, one talking point has been abundantly clear in the Steelers locker room: Do better against the Baltimore rushing attack. For good reason. The Ravens trampled the Steelers on the ground last month when the teams met for...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans snap back at criticism of Kenny Pickett and go after Matt Canada, defensive payroll
Apparently, Pittsburgh sports fans want the media members who cover the Steelers to make a few New Year’s resolutions. • Be harder on the Steelers defense. • Be harder on offensive coordinator Matt Canada. • Be nicer to poor Kenny Pickett. That’s the vibe I’m getting anyway. Oh, and one...
Steelers’ Ahkello Witherspoon resumes practicing after being designated to return from IR list
A chance to stay alive in the playoff race could be at stake, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are heading on the road to face their bitter AFC North rival. It matters little to cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. They could be playing the Atlanta Falcons again for all he is concerned. “All...
3rd-down catches lifting Steelers’ Diontae Johnson back to top tier of NFL receivers
When Diontae Johnson was not participating in team drills this past summer while awaiting a contract extension, it was a tacit signal that he believed he was among the NFL’s best wide receivers. And despite not playing up to those expectations during the first half of this season, Johnson has...
QB Kenny Pickett looking to finish drives in Steelers’ rematch with Ravens
When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, quarterback Kenny Pickett spent the last three quarters in concussion protocol while a series of interceptions and missed opportunities contributed to a 16-14 loss. The Steelers scored touchdowns in two of four red-zone opportunities, with one of Mitch Trubisky’s...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward named AFC Defensive Player of Week for 3rd time in his career
Snubbed from the Pro Bowl after a run of five consecutive seasons earning the honor, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward stated his case last week that he should have been included for a sixth time. Heyward was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance...
Mark Madden: Steelers are flawed in assembly, administration but blessed by perception
As the Pittsburgh Steelers cling to their 2% chance of making the playoffs, it might be more fun to look ahead to next year. On second thought, maybe not. Their problems are great, and they are many. This space has mentioned how rallying to 7-8 will enable the Steelers’ failures...
