Steelers/NFL category, Page 279
Madden Monday: ‘It’s time to stop pretending the Steelers are all that good, because they are not’
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ apologist spin cycle is in full gear after the team’s embarrassing 16-16 tie against the Detroit Lions Sunday. “It’s no big deal. The Steelers played with their backup quarterback. Every other top team in the AFC has suffered a surprising loss within the last few weeks. At...
Steelers vs. Lions: What they’re saying in Detroit after tie
Two muddling teams, fit to be tied. That pretty much sums up the unwatchable mess at Heinz Field Sunday, full of flags, fumbles and foibles. The Detroit Lions didn’t lose. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t win. “Playing in a steady rain and 39-degree temperatures, Goff had one of his worst games...
Mike Wagner proud to take turn in spotlight as Steelers’ Hall of Honor member
Mike Wagner has four Super Bowl rings to show for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. This weekend, the former safety received another piece of hardware that is just as meaningful. Wagner was one of nine former players, comprising the Class of 2020 and 2021, to be...
Steelers run defense turns in another putrid performance
For the second time in four games, the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed a team with a losing record to come into Heinz Field and put up a season-high rushing yards. For the second time in four games, an opposing running back had a career-high (or close to it) rushing effort. And...
Mike Tomlin: Mason Rudolph ‘gave us a chance to win’ in 1st start of the season for Steelers
Mason Rudolph got most of the snaps with the first-team offense in practice, so he was prepared to play when coach Mike Tomlin called Saturday night and said he would be starting Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Rudolph was pressed into duty for the Pittsburgh Steelers when starter Ben Roethlisberger...
Tim Benz: Horrible tackling, untimely turnovers among grievances to air after Steelers’ rotten tie against Detroit
On a few occasions before the 2021 season began, I sarcastically predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers would go 8-8-1 in the NFL’s first 17-game regular season. That way, we could still say, “Well, you know, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season!” I thought I was kidding. Now, after Sunday’s...
Steelers CB Joe Haden, guards Kevin Dotson, Trai Turner leave game with injuries
They didn’t lose a game Sunday, but the Pittsburgh Steelers did lose a handful of starters to injury. In addition to T.J. Watt missing all of the fourth quarter and overtime a 16-16 tie with the winless Detroit Lions, cornerback Joe Haden and the starting guard duo of Kevin Dotson...
Steelers bumble way to tie against winless Lions
The scoreboard didn’t reflect a loss Sunday afternoon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It just felt that way after they played the NFL’s only winless team and still couldn’t extend their winning streak to five games. On a cold, damp day at Heinz Field, the Steelers played a game that was...
Prognosis unclear for Steelers’ T.J. Watt after hip/knee injury
Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt gingerly walked off the field during the third quarter and did not return to Sunday’s tie against the Detroit Lions. Watt suffered a hip/knee injury colliding with teammate Joe Schobert in the process of making a sack of Jared Goff late in the...
Steelers OT Zach Banner makes season debut vs. Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner is in uniform and made his season debut Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Banner had not played in a regular-season game since the 2020 opener, during which he suffered a torn ACL. His rehab hit an apparent setback during this past training camp, and...
Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger out vs. Lions, on covid list
Ben Roethlisberger will be placed on the reserve/covid list and will not play Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field. The Steelers made the announcement Saturday night. Mason Rudolph will make his first start of the season at quarterback in place of Roethlisberger, and Dwayne...
Steelers rookie TE Pat Freiermuth develops rapport with Ben Roethlisberger, shows penchant for TDs
Heath Miller made a rare post-retirement appearance at Heinz Field last week. Perfect timing, because the Pittsburgh Steelers — at long last — are comfortable that they finally have been able to replace their former Pro Bowl tight end, who retired in February 2016. Following a couple of swings and...
Steelers call up WR Steven Sims from practice squad for game vs. Lions
Down another wide receiver because of injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to their practice squad for reinforcement at the position. Three-year veteran Steven Sims was elevated to the roster for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, the team announced Saturday. Sims had 61 catches and five touchdowns over the past...
Four Downs: Numbers show contrast of Steelers defense in 1st, 2nd halves
1. Half-and-half The Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to have one of the NFL’s best defenses. But that’s only been half true so far this season. The Steelers have been among the best on defense… in the first halves of games. Come the second half, they’ve statistically been one of the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers are walking tightrope that usually leads to heartbreak
The American Football Conference stinks. The Tennessee Titans have seven wins, the Baltimore Ravens have six and nine teams have five (including the Pittsburgh Steelers). The AFC might be deep, but so is an outhouse’s reservoir. This has led to optimism among Steelers fans, especially with win No. 6 pending...
T.J. Watt on the art, science of batting passes, at which Steelers excel
There were 81 batted down passes in the NFL through nine weeks of this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Teammates T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, by themselves, have accounted for almost 10% of them. Heyward’s five plus Watt’s three in addition to two from Chris Wormley gave the Pittsburgh...
Steelers WR Chase Claypool will not play Sunday, but TE Eric Ebron will
The attrition continues on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receivers depth chart. Chase Claypool will not play in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions after sitting out the entire week’s worth of practice because of a toe injury. Claypool joins JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last month, as wide...
Holding aside, Pressley Harvin III seeks more consistency as Steelers punter
What Pressley Harvin III has done with his right foot at the midpoint of his rookie season indicates he is among the bottom third of NFL punters. The Pittsburgh Steelers, though, place a value on what Harvin can do with his hands, and it is in that job as a...
Despite mid-week injuries, Steelers’ Najee Harris and Kendrick Green will play vs. Lions
Despite an apparent mid-week foot injury, Pittsburgh Steelers workhorse running back Najee Harris will play in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. After he was listed as a limited participant at Thursday’s practice, Friday’s injury report had Harris as a full participant. Starting center Kendrick Green similarly was a Thursday...
Mark Madden: Louis Lipps made a mistake but should still get his Steelers Hall of Honor moment
Louis Lipps is an all-time Pittsburgh Steelers great. Had Lipps played on Super Bowl teams, he might be recognized as their best wide receiver ever. Lipps was arrested for DUI this past Saturday night. His truck struck a parked trailer. Lipps was scheduled to be inducted into the Steelers’ Hall...
First Call: Steelers hope to continue minimizing opponents’ top threats; John Harbaugh says Ravens ‘outplayed’ in loss
In Friday’s “First Call,” the Pittsburgh Steelers know where to focus their defensive attention when the Detroit Lions come to town Sunday afternoon. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is upset with someone very specific in the wake of his team’s loss in Miami on Thursday night. The Penguins’ next opponent is...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ desire to always avoid a rebuild illustrated by Lions’ never-ending process
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward said he won’t be able to fully appreciate it until he retires. The fact that the team that drafted him has never had to go through a season like the one Sunday’s opponent, the Detroit Lions, are going through. For Heyward, a bad season...
Najee Harris added to injury report; Ben Roethlisberger, Chase Claypool don’t practice
Facing a short week of preparation after playing Monday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers had their first bona fide practice Thursday, and the session didn’t include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Chase Claypool. Roethlisberger did not participate because of a shoulder injury that cropped up on the injury report last...
Trai Turner emerges as respected, sage leader of young Steelers offensive line
Is 28 considered old? It’s all relative in life, and perhaps nowhere more than among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line. In the context of that inexperienced group, 28-year-old Trai Turner is a veritable pied piper of sage knowledge and insight. “We were all laughing because we were sitting on the...
Steelers sign experienced DE-OLB Jacob Tuioti-Mariner to practice squad
A day after being released by the Atlanta Falcons, outside linebacker Jacob Tuioti-Mariner was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers to their practice squad. Tuioti-Mariner is an intriguing depth addition, considering that he played in six games for the Falcons this season and contributed two sacks while playing 18% of Atlanta’s...
