Joe Rutter stories, Page 83

The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers started a season with six consecutive wins, they had a defense littered with Pro Bowl players, a strong-armed quarterback seeking his third Super Bowl ring and a core of talented young wide receivers. The Steelers also were recovering from a turbulent offseason that followed...

The NFL season isn’t even half over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet wide receiver Diontae Johnson soon will need a second hand to count the number of injuries he has suffered this year. It started in training camp with a lower leg injury. A concussion in Week 3 knocked him...

When Ben Roethlisberger said the Pittsburgh Steelers would take the ball last Sunday after correctly calling tails for the coin toss, it put the defense in unfamiliar territory. It was the first time the Steelers won the toss this year and didn’t elect to put the defense on the field...

For obvious reasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn’t mind getting off to the same kind of start Sunday in Baltimore that they did in Week 7 at Tennessee. Not just jumping to a 14-0 lead after two possessions or building a 24-7 advantage at halftime. But also methodically moving the ball...

After sending Steeler Nation into a frenzy with a cryptic Instagram post Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton was present and accounted for Wednesday, quashing speculation that he was on the verge of being traded. Sutton attended practice, which was moved indoors at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex because...

Once questioned about the validity of their early-season success, the Pittsburgh Steelers no longer are hearing about the ease of their schedule. Not after victories against the one-loss Cleveland Browns and undefeated Tennessee Titans in successive weeks. Of course, the stakes are magnified in Week 8, when the Steelers go...

Sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers confused and harassed Lamar Jackson into his worst individual performance of an MVP season in 2019. Just don’t ask coach Mike Tomlin about the secret to keeping the Baltimore Ravens quarterback in check. “I wish I had an answer to that,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “I think...

At 6-0, the Pittsburgh Steelers are becoming popular with the NFL schedule makers. It was only a matter of time until one of the Steelers’ games was flexed out of a 1 p.m. timeslot, and that happened Tuesday. It’s just that it didn’t involve any of their AFC North games...

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the challenge isn’t just another matchup against an AFC North contender, it’s a second consecutive road game and one that comes against a third consecutive team that enters with either one or zero losses. Such are the stakes when the Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens on...

Five things we learned from Steelers 27, Titans 24: 1. Different approach Filling Devin Bush’s spot at inside linebacker for the first game since his season-ending ACL tear turned out to be a collective effort for the Steelers. Robert Spillane, who capably replaced Bush for 30 snaps last week against...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For going on the road and beating the only other undefeated team in the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers had few positive emotions to display Sunday after a 27-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. The mood was more of exhaustion than elation after the Steelers...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Pittsburgh Steelers offense will be at full strength Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The same can’t be said for a banged-up defense. Guard David DeCastro and wide receiver Diontae Johnson will return to the starting lineup after sitting out the Week 6 game against the Cleveland...

They have knocked Drew Lock from the game with a strained rotator cuff and sent Baker Mayfield to the sideline with one too many shots to the ribs. They have harassed young and veteran quarterbacks alike into throwing momentum-changing interceptions, from Daniel Jones to Deshaun Watson to Carson Wentz to,...

JuJu Smith-Schuster is sorry he’s disappointing so many fantasy football owners this season. With one-third of the NFL season complete, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fourth-year wide receiver is tied for No. 40 in receptions and No. 85 in receiving yards, and he is No. 119 in yards per catch. The byproduct...

In one regards, the NFL didn’t do the Pittsburgh Steelers any favors by rescheduling their postponed game against the Tennessee Titans for Week 7. The Steelers’ reward for controlling the NFL’s top rushing team is a matchup against the league’s top individual runner, the Titans’ Derrick Henry. It could cause...

Mike Tomlin might be rethinking his decision to swap out punters before the start of the regular season. With 38-year-old Dustin Colquitt possessing an NFL-worst 37.1 yards net punting average, the Steelers brought in former punter Jordan Berry for a tryout Monday, according to several reports. Tomlin acknowledged Tuesday at...

Mike Tomlin is prepared to go with former undrafted free agent Robert Spillane at inside linebacker for the immediate future as the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to play the rest of the season without starter Devin Bush. Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference Bush will undergo surgery Wednesday to...

Coach Mike Tomlin likes to say the strength of the pack is in the pack, and that continues to hold true for the Pittsburgh Steelers pass catchers. In crafting a 5-0 record, the Steelers have had five wide receivers or tight ends make significant contributions to each victory. The latest...

Robert Spillane knows he can’t replicate Devin Bush on the football field. He doesn’t have 4.43 speed or a Big Ten pedigree. He doesn’t share the sideline-to-sideline playmaking ability that made Bush the most athletic Steelers inside linebacker since Ryan Shazier. “Devin is a great player,” Spillane said Monday. “He...

Five things we learned about Steelers 38, Browns 7: 1. Challenge accepted The Browns didn’t have Nick Chubb, who was on injured reserve, but they still brought Kareem Hunt and a running game that rated as the best in the NFL to Heinz Field. It was the biggest test for...

If anyone expected Myles Garrett to try to make amends with the Pittsburgh Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin on Sunday afternoon, they were disappointed. Garrett did speak with Tomlin prior to the start of the Steelers’ 38-7 victory against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field, but the conversation was not...

The Cleveland Browns thought this game would be different. That they were equipped to end the Pittsburgh Steelers’ domination at Heinz Field. That they no longer were going to be pushed around in this AFC North rivalry. Instead, their trip back up the Pennsylvania Turnpike ended up being another lonely...

Even if they did not end up producing much, the Cleveland Browns had all of their offensive stars active for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. Quarterback Baker Mayfield (ribs) and wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. (illness) and Jarvis Landry (hip/ribs) each suited up after being listed...