Steelers/NFL category, Page 294
After season-opening road win, Steelers’ Mike Tomlin not taking Raiders lightly at home
Based on what transpired Monday night in the desert, the Pittsburgh Steelers hope that what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas. Rallying from a 14-point deficit, the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Baltimore Ravens, 33-27, in overtime, making them a formidable opponent when they meet the Steelers on Sunday at...
Steelers notebook: Tre Norwood becomes latest versatile piece of secondary
The rookie draft class was expected to be heavily involved for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season opener at Buffalo. Nobody, though, could have predicted that the most-used rookie would be seventh-round defensive back Tre Norwood. Norwood was one of five rookies to start against the Bills — six if...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin hopes players keep fans energized at home opener
For the first time in two seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a game in front of a capacity crowd at Heinz Field when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in the home opener. Coach Mike Tomlin is hoping his players do a better job of keeping the...
First Call: Bills coordinator takes blame for bad call versus Steelers; Raiders get banged up before trip to Heinz Field
Tuesday’s “First Call” puts the debut of Steelers rookie Najee Harris into context. Ex-Steelers punter Jordan Berry makes a strong impression with his new team. The Las Vegas Raiders had a wild “Monday Night Football” game and lots of injuries in advance of their visit to Heinz Field Sunday. And...
Execution, belief in plan lead to rare ‘splash’ punt block for Steelers
Every week for 16 — now, 17 — weeks, Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith pores over opponents film of dozens of punts, kickoffs and placekicks. He’s hoping to find a vulnerability in a protection or coverage team that can give the Steelers an advantage. The payoffs are rare...
Relentless pass rush among 5 things worth savoring from Steelers’ win at Buffalo
Five things we learned from Steelers 23, Bills 16: 1. Pass rush to judgment Any concerns about the Steelers being able to piece together a pass rush with Stephon Tuitt on injured reserve, Bud Dupree in Tennessee and T.J. Watt coming off just three practices didn’t last long. From the...
Steelers Week 1 film study: Man coverage, calculated quarterback pressure keys to win over Bills
NFL football analyst Matt Williamson will break down each of the Steelers games this season in the Trib’s Steelers Film Study. Here’s what he saw in the Steelers Week 1 victory. To kick off their 2021 season, the Steelers traveled to a hostile environment and shocked a lot of people...
Unfiltered: Tim Benz and Mark Madden break down Steelers win over BillsVideo
Mark Madden and Tim Benz discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers season-opening 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on this week’s edition of “Unfiltered” on TribLIVE’s Facebook page. While he tries not to judge too much based on Week 1, Madden says that the Bills reverted back to the same...
Mark Madden: T.J. Watt, Steelers defense were good as advertised and will need to be all season
If the Steelers are to have a blueprint for success in 2021, Sunday’s upset victory at Buffalo might come close to what’s needed. The defense won the game. T.J. Watt spurred the defense to win the game. Within the admittedly narrow microcosm of Week 1, the superstar outside linebacker delivered...
First Call: Bills coach frustrated with holding penalties versus Steelers; Raiders running back questionable versus Ravens
Monday’s “First Call” shows us that the Buffalo Bills are bothered by one particular aspect of their upset loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. The Steelers’ next opponent may be dealing with some problems at the running back position Monday night. The Pirates and Reds are about to get very...
Madden Monday on Steelers win in Buffalo: ‘The better defense won. The offense was a passenger’
For as much as things coalesced in the second half for the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday in Buffalo, TribLIVE’s Mark Madden says the offense can do more. The Steelers fell into a 10-0 hole at halftime. Yet they ended up beating the favored Bills 23-16 thanks to a second-half explosion. In...
Tim Benz: Cameron Heyward, pass rush prowess, special teams adventures tell the story of Steelers’ upset win over Bills
Uh, oh. The Steelers are going to be that kinda team again in 2021, aren’t they? That “30-Minute Men” team we talked about at length last season. Especially during that opening stretch of 2020 when Mike Tomlin’s crew won 11 in a row, largely by playing “above the line” football...
Blocked punt proves pivotal in Steelers win at Bills
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The first play of the season was a dud for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ special teamers. It took the unit three quarters to more than make up for it. A blocked punt returned for a scoop-and-score touchdown was one of the major plays of the Steelers’ 23-16...
T.J. Watt shows no ill effects his limited camp practice time in Steelers’ winVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Neither of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive or defensive captains could help but joke about T.J. Watt’s performance Sunday. “He’s fine,” defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said, eliciting laughs postgame. Moments later, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger quipped: “It just shows that the preseason’s overrated, right?” Watt was a force...
Diontae Johnson celebrates Steelers’ return trip to Buffalo with go-ahead TD catchVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — When Diontae Johnson left the field in the first quarter Sunday, it was reminiscent of his previous visit to Highmark Stadium in December. The difference was, Johnson left with an injury and not because he was benched for dropping too many passes. The third-year wide receiver...
Robert Spillane a late scratch for Steelers’ opener vs. Bills
ORCHARD PARK, Pa. – Inside linebacker Robert Spillane was a late scratch for Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers season opener. Spillane suffered a shin injury during warm-ups at Highmark Stadium, according to the team, so he will not play against the Buffalo Bills. Spillane is the top backup at both inside linebacker...
Second-half surge leads Steelers to season-opening upset at Buffalo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – After a first half spent perpetually swimming upstream, the Pittsburgh Steelers roared back in the second Sunday with the ferocity of water churning over nearby Niagara Falls. Down by 10 and shut out at intermission, the Steelers scored 20 unanswered points and upset the Buffalo Bills,...
Steelers Four Downs: Rare collection of rookies to contribute in season opener
1. Rookie rundown For the first time in more than a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers had eight of their draft picks make the initial 53-man roster. No undrafted rookies made the active roster headed into Sunday’s season opener for the first time since 2017, but the eight rookies is the...
Tribune-Review staff writers offer predictions for 2021 NFL season
Every year, the NFL’s communications department is eager to point out how many nonplayoff teams from the previous season either qualify for the postseason or win their divisions the next season. The league’s go-to parity stat is that during 17 of the past 18 seasons at least two division winners...
Ready or not, Steelers will unveil new-look offense in season opener against Bills
Ben Roethlisberger answered each time in the affirmative when asked this week whether he was nervous or excited about what awaits the Pittsburgh Steelers offense Sunday in Buffalo. Matt Canada, on the other hand, called it just another day at the office. No matter the perspective of a veteran quarterback...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Big contract means higher expectations for Steelers’ T.J. Watt
Now that T.J. Watt has signed his record-breaking contract, expectations for him must rise. Watt got star quarterback money. He has got to do star quarterback things. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ record and finish is undeniably tied to Watt just as much as it is Ben Roethlisberger, perhaps more so. If...
With pro debut on tap, Steelers’ Najee Harris knows NFL is a different level than SEC
Najee Harris is eager to fulfill his dream of playing in a meaningful NFL game. About 48 hours away from that becoming a reality, the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back was opining about the step up in competition. Arguably, dealing with bigger, better, stronger and faster defenders isn’t even the...
Alex Highsmith practices fully, questionable for Steelers’ opener
The good news in regards to outside linebackers wasn’t limited to one player for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. On the day a lucrative contract extension for T.J. Watt was announced, the Steelers’ other starter at the position was back to full participation in practice. Alex Highsmith officially was listed...
Lost amongst higher-profile rookies, Tre Norwood could make early impact for Steelers
Much has been made about the four Pittsburgh Steelers rookies on offense who sit atop their positional depth charts. The curiosity surrounding the big leg of punter Pressley Harvin has made him a relatively high-profile rookie, too. But there’s a draft pick on defense who’s flown under the radar and...
T.J. Watt relieved mega contract is signed, vows Steelers won’t regret it
In a deliberate show of support, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were conspicuous in representing the Pittsburgh Steelers organization by standing and watching silently throughout the full 12 minutes of T.J. Watt’s news conference Friday afternoon. Colbert and Tomlin did not speak. Instead they flanked a makeshift dais near midfield...
