Steelers/NFL category, Page 136
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, ILB Elandon Roberts return to practice on limited basis for Steelers
Two defensive starters returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, but one on offense did not take any reps as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. It’s the first free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and inside linebacker Elandon Roberts (pectoral)...
Joey Porter Jr. wins Joe Greene award as Steelers’ top rookie, Patrick Peterson gets nod as Chief recipient
It took seven games before Joey Porter Jr. made his first start at cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once he got in the lineup, however, nobody could keep him out. Porter has started the past 10 games heading into the season finale Saturday at Baltimore. His accomplishments in those games...
Mark Madden: Staying with Steelers the best bet for Mason Rudolph amid Kenny Pickett’s struggles
T.J. Watt was voted the Pittsburgh Steelers’ MVP for the fourth time in five years. Very well deserved. Leads the NFL in sacks. (Still hasn’t won a playoff game.) But in today’s high-octane NFL, you won’t accomplish much if a defensive player keeps getting team MVP. More specifically if your...
First Call: Unpopular choice to officiate Steelers-Ravens; fine for David Tepper’s drink toss
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some unfortunate details about the officiating crew for Saturday’s Steelers-Ravens game. One former Pittsburgh Steeler is looking for work, while another one is on a new roster. The Penguins are helping out Cameron Heyward. Marc-Andre Fleury is still working to catch Patrick Roy. And a former...
Tim Benz: If Kenny Pickett is being honest with us, I hope Steelers coaches weren’t being honest with him
A dust-up has been swirling around the allegations that Kenny Pickett refused to be a backup quarterback Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Seattle. Pickett addressed that storyline Tuesday and denied it. Something else he said is the bigger story, though. “There was no talk of me being a backup...
T.J. Watt voted Steelers’ MVP by teammates for record-tying 4th time
Seven seasons and 100-plus games into his NFL career, T.J. Watt finally is allowing himself to, at times, stop and smell the proverbial roses. “I’m able to more live in the moment a little more and be present,” Watt said after Pittsburgh Steelers practice Tuesday. “I am able to enjoy...
Minkah Fitzpatrick remains out of Steelers practice, Kenny Pickett back to full participation
The prospects of All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick returning for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ regular-season finale look considerably more bleak after Fitzpatrick sat out Tuesday’s practice. Fitzpatrick has missed the past two games because of a knee injury, but coach Mike Tomlin left the door open that he could return for Saturday’s...
Steelers’ Mason Rudolph has ‘tunnel vision’ on Ravens, not his future or past 2 weeks
With his play the past two weeks, Mason Rudolph has put himself in position to earn a measure of job security next season when he hits free agency for the second time in his NFL career. Rudolph isn’t looking that far ahead. Not with the Pittsburgh Steelers trying to secure...
Steelers’ Kenny Pickett denies refusing to be No. 2 quarterback against Seahawks
Saying he felt like his character was attacked, Kenny Pickett strongly denied accusations that he refused to be the backup quarterback behind starter Mason Rudolph on Sunday in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 30-23 victory at Seattle. Pickett addressed the allegations Tuesday morning before practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “There was...
Steelers notebook: Mike Tomlin focused on Ravens, not other games or another Saturday kick
For the third time in four weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play on a Saturday. For the second time in that span, the Saturday kickoff was announced after the season began. On this occasion, the advance notice for the modification in the week of preparation came during a flight home...
Mike Tomlin makes potentially seismic decision of Mason Rudolph over healthy Kenny Pickett
It was a short passage among a 170-word answer to the first question Mike Tomlin was asked during his weekly news conference Monday. And while Tomlin downplayed the long-term significance of what he said, a potentially seismic change in the organizational outlook was delivered via 10 simple words. “We are...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin: ‘We are gonna leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands’
With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season on the line, Mason Rudolph will make a third consecutive start at quarterback. “We are gonna leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands,” coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Monday, referencing his intention to start Rudolph in Saturday’s regular-season finale at the...
Mark Madden: Mason Rudolph has earned Steelers’ starting job, but Mike Tomlin doesn’t like to be wrong
As we celebrate Mike Tomlin not having a losing season for the 17th straight time, keep in mind the Pittsburgh Steelers should be 11-5. If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs, it will be because they lost consecutive home games to Arizona and New England, both teams with 2-10 records...
5 things we learned: Mason Rudolph bringing deep passing game back to Steelers’ offense
Five things we learned from Steelers 30, Seahawks 23: 1. Big-play Mason Further evidence of the offense flourishing under Mason Rudolph’s guidance came in the form of the veteran backup throwing five completions that gained at least 24 yards. To no surprise, three of those passes were thrown to George...
Madden Monday: Steelers win in Baltimore not a layup even against backups; discussing trading Jake Guentzel
As Mark Madden wrote last week here at TribLive, 2023 wasn’t a good year in Pittsburgh sports. He couldn’t even do a “best of Pittsburgh sports” column for the year because there was no “best.” But at least the Penguins and Steelers are finishing strong. The Steelers have won two...
NFL schedules Steelers’ finale at Baltimore for 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday
SEATTLE – The Pittsburgh Steelers will get the first crack next weekend at determining their potential playoff fate. The NFL, which did not determine the dates/times of Week 18 games until Sunday night, has slotted the Steelers game at the Baltimore Ravens for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday. The game...
Feats of Strength: Running backs, Rudolph-to-Pickens, Nick Herbig’s huge play help Steelers to rare win in Seattle
The Steelers ended 2023 in style, winning in Seattle for the first time since 1983. The victory keeps the Steelers’ playoff hopes alive going into the final week of the season. Plus, the franchise extends its streak of seasons at .500 or better to 20 with a 30-23 decision over...
Here’s how the Steelers can make the playoffs
SEATTLE — Only once in Mike Tomlin’s 17 seasons as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has his team entered the final weekend mathematically eliminated from the postseason. That accomplishment will remain intact this year thanks to the Steelers’ 30-23 victory against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. With one game remaining...
Behind Mason Rudolph, dominant rushing attack, Steelers beat Seahawks to remain in playoff hunt
SEATTLE – Playing with a sense of urgency that was lacking earlier in the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers found their formula for success Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field. Behind the second impressive start in a row from quarterback Mason Rudolph and a dominant running game, the Steelers outpaced the Seattle...
Kenny Pickett inactive against Seahawks, Mitch Trubisky to back up Steelers QB Mason Rudolph
SEATTLE — Kenny Pickett’s recovery from ankle surgery wasn’t quick enough for him to get a helmet Sunday. Coach Mike Tomlin declared Pickett inactive for the Steelers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Pickett was questionable following the final practice of the week Friday. By ruling Pickett out...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Pittsburgh sports had no ‘best of 2023’
This is the time for cliched, year-in-review “best of 2023” lists. But Pittsburgh sports had no “best of 2023.” All the major sports teams were rotten. All seem pointed in the wrong direction. The Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and Pitt football were a combined 20 games under .500 in 2023. The...
Steelers often left sleepless after playing Seahawks in Seattle
The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers won a game in Seattle, they did so with a quarterback who was making his ninth career start in his seventh year in the organization. So maybe history will be on the Steelers’ side Sunday when they turn to Mason Rudolph to keep their...
2023 in Pittsburgh professional sports: Kenny Pickett’s highs, lows an ongoing storyline for Steelers
The first day of the calendar year brought a sense of anticipation and hope for a fruitful future for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The last day of 2023? It shows just how complicated and unsettled the outlook for the organization really is. When Kenny Pickett directed an 80-yard winning drive in...
Steelers 4 Downs: A 7th starting ILB likely to join 7 safeties who have started so far in ‘23
1. Many faces of D Through a spate of injuries beginning to number into the absurd (and one suspension), the Pittsburgh Steelers have blown through players in the middle of their defense this season. Through 15 games headed into Sunday at the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers have started seven different...
Recently modified practice-squad rules helping to save Steelers’ season on defense
Teryl Austin shook his head in a combination of relief and recognition. If not for some modifications made to the NFL’s practice squad rules in recent years, imagine where the Pittsburgh Steelers defense would have been this season by now? “Yeah,” Austin, the Steelers defensive coordinator, said this week. “That...
