Joe Rutter stories, Page 52
Mike Tomlin won’t change ‘for sake of change’ as Steelers try to snap 4-game skid
Mike Tomlin remains open to making changes in personnel and on his coaching staff as the Pittsburgh Steelers take a four-game losing streak into their game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He just won’t use public pressure to influence his decision. “I don’t intend to change for the sake...
Steelers wouldn’t mind repeat of 2019 turnaround, the last time they started 1-4
The turnover on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster has been significant enough that only about a dozen players remain from the 2019 team that also began the season with a 1-4 record. The situations are similar in that both teams underwent a quarterback change. In 2019, it was Ben Roethlisberger’s right...
5 things we learned: With loss to Bills, Steelers find themselves at bottom of AFC
5 things we learned from Bills 38, Steelers 3: 1. Bottom of the barrel No matter what transpires in the “Monday Night Football” game, the Steelers will enter Week 6 with the worst record in the AFC. It’s just a matter of whether they will be the sole 1-4 team...
Steelers unhappy no penalty was called on Damar Hamlin hit to QB Kenny Pickett
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — That was no fake slide Kenny Pickett attempted late in the third quarter Sunday when he tried to scramble for a first down against the Buffalo Bills. And that was no fake hit delivered by safety Damar Hamlin, Pickett’s former teammate at Pitt. Hamlin lowered his...
Mike Tomlin not ‘disputing’ report that Steelers’ T.J. Watt underwent surgery on knee
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up their most yards in nine years, the shoddy play of the secondary masked another issue on defense. The Steelers still can’t generate a pass rush without defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. Watt sat...
Steelers’ 38-3 loss to Bills marks most lopsided defeat in Mike Tomlin era, worst since 1989Video
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mike Tomlin has lost more important games. A Super Bowl and an AFC championship game spring to mind. He just hasn’t lost one by such a lopsided margin in his 16 years as Pittsburgh Steelers coach. Tomlin presided over a 38-3 defeat to the Buffalo Bills...
Bills throttle Steelers in Kenny Pickett’s 1st start
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Too bad for Kenny Pickett that his first NFL start couldn’t have come against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. That way he might be savoring a victory instead of enduring one of most lopsided defeats in franchise history. Pickett could only stand on the sideline Sunday afternoon...
Report: Steelers’ T.J. Watt has surgery on knee, could be out longer
T.J. Watt had arthroscopic knee surgery, which could extend the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker’s stay on injured reserve, according to an ESPN report Saturday night. Watt was placed on injured reserve after the season opener with a pectoral injury, and he isn’t eligible to return until after the Steelers play...
From Duck Hodges to Len Dawson, a look at how Steelers rookie quarterbacks fared in 1st NFL starts
Given that the Pittsburgh Steelers are installed as 14-point underdogs Sunday, Kenny Pickett won’t have the odds in his favor when he makes his first NFL start in Buffalo. What the Steelers’ first-round draft pick will have working to his advantage is a bit of history. Since the second half...
Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds downgraded to out, will miss game at Buffalo
Strong safety Terrell Edmunds, who spent the week in concussion protocol, has been downgraded to out and will miss the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game Sunday at Buffalo. Edmunds was listed as questionable when the Steelers released their final injury report of the week Friday. That Edmunds won’t play against the Bills...
Steelers searching for right mix of healthy defensive players to face Josh Allen, Bills
Teryl Austin doesn’t know which players he will have at his disposal Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Buffalo Bills and $258 million quarterback Josh Allen. The Steelers first-year defensive coordinator just knows he will put 11 on the field for every snap, and that will have to suffice...
Confident Kenny Pickett ready for challenge of facing first-place Bills in first NFL start
Kenny Pickett’s first NFL start coincides with the Pittsburgh Steelers being the biggest underdogs in franchise history dating to the 1970 merger. The Buffalo Bills are listed as 14-point favorites when they host the Steelers and their rookie quarterback Sunday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Pickett, thrust...
Safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds miss practice as Steelers start to prep for Bills
The Pittsburgh Steelers were minus three-fourths of their secondary Wednesday when they began on-field preparations for their game Sunday at the Buffalo Bills. Sitting out practice were Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring), strong safety Terrell Edmunds (concussion) and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee). In addition, cornerbacks Levi Wallace (foot) and Cameron Sutton...
Injuries leave Steelers secondary shorthanded entering week of practice ahead of Bills game
When the Pittsburgh Steelers return to practice Wednesday, they might be without all four starting members of their secondary. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon remains sidelined with a hamstring injury that will prevent him from playing Sunday when the Steelers visit the Buffalo Bills, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly...
Kenny Pickett named as Steelers’ starting quarterback in Buffalo
For his first NFL start, Kenny Pickett will be tasked with venturing into Highmark Stadium — one of the most hostile environments for visiting teams — and helping the Pittsburgh Steelers snap a three-game losing streak. No big deal, right? Coach Mike Tomlin is aware that Bills Mafia will be...
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin previews matchup with Buffalo Bills
Pittsburgh Steelers fans will likely be hanging on coach Mike Tomlin’s every word during his weekly press conference Tuesday, anticipating his decision on the team’s starting quarterback for Sunday’s road matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Rookie first-round pick Kenny Pickett replaced veteran Mitch Trubisky at the start of the third...
Makeover of young Steelers offense will continue if Kenny Pickett remains starting QB
Diontae Johnson created a bit of a stir Sunday when he uttered a phrase that is frowned upon by his bosses in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. “It’s a rebuilding year.” From team president Art Rooney II to coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers never admit they are in rebuilding mode. They...
5 things we learned: Steelers offense shows more consistency staying on field in loss to Jets
Five things we learned from Jets 24, Steelers 20: 1. Time after time For the first time this season, the Steelers held the edge in time of possession. It was the slightest of edges — a 2 second advantage — but an edge nonetheless. Of course, giving the defense more...
Kenny Pickett replaces Mitch Trubisky, but Jets rally past Steelers on late TD
Cameron Heyward walked with a limp. His elbow was hurting, too. The biggest bruise the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain felt Sunday, though, was to his ego. The Steelers defense, which was supposed to be so dominant this season, wilted down the stretch once again, giving up two touchdowns in the...
Joe Greene ready to welcome Franco Harris into Steelers’ exclusive retired number fraternity
Joe Greene sees no reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn’t be retiring Franco Harris’ No. 32 in December on the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. “Before Franco, we hadn’t done very much,” Greene said. “After Franco, we didn’t do much, either. But during Franco, we did a lot.” Greene...
Steelers elevate Anderson, Jackson from practice squad; Okorafor escapes fine by NFL
On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers added reinforcements from the practice squad to provide depth in the wake of injuries to outside linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Elevated to the 53-man roster were linebacker Ryan Anderson and cornerback Josh Jackson. They will be in uniform Sunday when the Steelers...
Steelers have overcome plenty of slow starts before in Mike Tomlin’s coaching tenure
Experience has taught Cam Heyward not to sweat a two-game losing streak in the first month of an NFL season. He’s been here before. So much so that he’s become somewhat of an expert on slow starts by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In nine of Heyward’s 12 seasons, the Steelers have...
Steelers rookie George Pickens a harsh critic when judging his catch against Browns
The falling, one-handed catch that made George Pickens the talk of social media last Thursday night impressed just above everyone. Well, everyone but Pickens. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver confided after practice Thursday that — even with a week of contemplation — it didn’t register in the top five catches...
Steelers will try to clear up tackling issues against Jets running back tandem
At first blush, the New York Jets would seem to be the antidote for the ailing Pittsburgh Steelers run defense. As much as the Steelers have struggled trying to establish a running game, the Jets have fared worse. They have totaled 18 fewer rushing yards than the Steelers during a...
In search of elusive win without T.J. Watt, Steelers keep experimenting on defense
It’s a question the Pittsburgh Steelers players face every game T.J. Watt sits out because of injury: What do they have to do to win without the NFL Defensive Player of the Year? Six years into the star outside linebacker’s career, the answer is like Pi. It can’t be calculated....
