Steelers/NFL category, Page 336
Maurkice Pouncey activated off Steelers’ covid list
The Pittsburgh Steelers activated veteran center Maurkice Pouncey from the NFL’s reserve/covid-19 list Friday, clearing the way for the eight-time Pro Bowler to play during Sunday night’s showdown of AFC division leaders at the Buffalo Bills. Pouncey was placed on the covid list Dec. 2, the day the Steelers played...
Injuries at ILB will put newcomer Avery Williamson in spotlight when Steelers face Bills
With inside linebackers falling like dominoes, Avery Williamson has gone from part-time backup to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most experienced starter at his position in a matter of days. “It’s crazy how the last week has spiraled,” Williamson said Friday. A knee injury to Robert Spillane in the third quarter Monday...
Mark Madden: Game at Buffalo will show what the Steelers are made of — one way, or the other
Sunday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo is the Credibility Bowl. The winner gets perceived to be in the AFC’s upper echelon with Kansas City. The loser is back in the pack. If the Steelers felt disrespected when many said they weren’t as good as their record, this...
First Call: Browns get loud after Steelers loss; playoff-clinching scenarios in Buffalo
The Cleveland Browns are getting awfully brave on Twitter after the Steelers’ loss Monday. Let’s see how their head coach responds. Aaron Donald is still in top form out in Los Angeles. Just ask the New England Patriots. We have gambling odds on the New York Jets going winless and...
Tim Benz: How big is the top AFC seed for the Steelers? Team history shows a mixed bag.
Washington’s victory Monday evening at Heinz Field hurt in ways beyond just ending the Steelers’ unbeaten season. The struggling offense was further exposed. The defense suffered two more injuries (Joe Haden, Robert Spillane). And the team fell into an 11-1 tie with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC. Technically,...
James Washington explains Steelers’ drops; JuJu Smith-Schuster’s thoughts on WR routes
James Washington is one of the few Steelers wide receivers worthy of praise in recent games. The third-year Oklahoma State product caught a clutch pass from Ben Roethlisberger late in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 2. He caught two passes for 80 yards including a touchdown in...
Steelers wary of damage Bills QB Josh Allen can cause with arm, legs
After the Pittsburgh Steelers absorbed their first loss of the season Monday, they had a chance to flick the channel to ESPN and get a preview of what awaits them this weekend in Buffalo. What defensive captain Cameron Heyward saw looked familiar. There was Bills quarterback Josh Allen moving around...
Illness keeps Chase Claypool from Steelers practice, but Chris Boswell returns
During the pandemic-affected 2020 NFL season, “illness” takes on a whole new connotation in regards to missed practice. Chase Claypool became the latest player to be absent from a Pittsburgh Steelers practice for such a reason. But the best news to come out of the Steelers’ league-mandated injury report was...
Steelers rookie Alex Highsmith passes tests in 1st career start
Almost lost amid the short week, the bevy of injuries and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first loss of the season was that the defense featured a player making his first NFL start last week. And with his status as a rookie mid-round pick from an unheralded college, Alex Highsmith by all...
Steelers place Vince Williams on covid list, left perilously thin at inside linebacker
Veteran inside linebacker Vince Williams became the latest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be placed on the NFL’s reserve/covid-19 list. The team announced the transaction in a brief, 15-word statement late Thursday afternoon. Per league policy, the Steelers did not clarify if Williams had tested positive for the novel...
Fantasy sports podcast: How the Steelers’ offensive woes are impacting fantasy leagues
It’s time for our weekly fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. We surf through lots of fantasy football topics as we approach the playoffs in most leagues. Are Buffalo Bills running backs smart plays after what Washington did to Pittsburgh last week? On the surface, no, because those...
Vance McDonald named Steelers’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee
Teammates repeatedly have complimented Vance McDonald for his selfless attitude in taking on a less glamorous and prominent role on the field this season. Turns out, that selflessness extends beyond football and into more meaningful ventures. And the Pittsburgh Steelers cited McDonald’s “dedication to philanthropy and community” in naming him...
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett wins team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award
When NFL teams announced their 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award winners Thursdays, the Cleveland Browns made an interesting choice: defensive end Myles Garrett. The award recognizes players for “their performance on the field and their dedication to the community.” On the field, Garrett is one of the...
First Call: More covid questions for Ravens, Steelers’ future at running back is cloudy
Thursday’s “First Call” has an ominous projection for the future of Steelers running back James Conner. Ben Roethlisberger’s praise for Josh Allen rings true. More covid-19 questions surrounding the Baltimore Ravens. And a look at how some of Baltimore’s returning players could actually help the Steelers. All about Allen On...
U mad, bro?: Steelers finally lost, and fans are mad! Because … we’re too hard on them?
The Steelers’ unbeaten streak ended with a thud Monday against Washington. Yes, that made me mad … bro. In fact, I was already on edge after two spotty offensive performances against the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars the two previous weeks. As a result, I’ve been critical of the team....
Steelers trying to rebound from 2nd-worst rushing performance of Mike Tomlin era
The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers ventured into Buffalo, Le’Veon Bell set the franchise single-game rushing record with 236 yards on a snowy December day at Bills Stadium. When the Steelers return to western New York on Sunday night for the first time since that 2016 game, they will be...
Armed with $9.75 million contract, Derek Watt remains bit part in Steelers offense
The Pittsburgh Steelers in March made Derek Watt the NFL’s third-highest-paid fullback by average annual salary. So far in his first season with the team, they aren’t using him like a $9.75 million man. Watt has played just 48 offensive snaps this season, including only 24 over the past four...
Steelers’ Steve Nelson practices fully; Chris Boswell, Joe Haden, Robert Spillane do not
Cornerback Steve Nelson practiced fully Wednesday, indicating he is on track to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lineup. But kicker Chris Boswell, linebacker Robert Spillane and cornerback Joe Haden each missed practice. Nelson missed Monday’s game against Washington because of a knee injury. Boswell did not play in that game...
Steelers get RB James Conner back from reserve/covid-19 list
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their starting running back available Sunday when they play the Buffalo Bills in a pivotal AFC matchup. James Conner was activated from the reserve/covid-19 list Wednesday after missing games against Baltimore and Washington. He leads the Steelers with 645 yards rushing in 10 games. Center...
Mark Madden: Steelers need more from running game to be legit contender
The Steelers have to run the ball more and better. They’re not forced to be one-dimensional. They do so voluntarily. It makes them predictable and easy to defend. If the Steelers feel they can’t run, they better figure out how to. Perhaps revisit how they did it earlier this season....
First Call: National host mocks Steelers loss, strange gambling odds for Steelers-Bills
A national television host is wallowing in the Steelers’ defeat Monday night. But Steelers fans remain optimistic. That’s how we start “First Call” Wednesday. Plus, we look at some strange gambling odds on the Steelers-Bills game. And we find out how the Washington head coach is reacting to his team’s...
Tim Benz: Steelers ‘popcorn’ problem exists with passing game too
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin dusted off one of his favorite “Tomlinisms” to describe his offense’s anemic run game. “The bottom line is popcorn,” Tomlin said Tuesday, just a few hours removed from his team’s first loss of the season. Tomlin often busts out the “popcorn” phrase when he wants...
Former NFL referee claims officials had ‘complete administrative breakdown’ during Steelers loss
Steelers fans who are angry about how the first half of the Monday evening game ended have every right to be. So does head coach Mike Tomlin. That’s the opinion of former NFL referee Gene Steratore. The Western Pa. native is now an officiating analyst for CBS. He called the...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin threatens benchings if receivers’ drops continue
Dropped passes can be a subjective metric to calculate in the NFL. What one stat-tracking website views as a drop could be considered an uncatchable pass by other services. ESPN Stats and Info, for instance, calculates the Pittsburgh Steelers with an NFL-high 31 drops this season, 10 more than any...
Mike Tomlin calls Steelers failures in short-yardage situations ‘catastrophic’ to 23-17 loss
Having some time to reflect on his team’s 23-17 loss to Washington a day earlier, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin came to one conclusion. “I live by the coaching creed, ‘If you can’t get a yard, you don’t deserve to win,’” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. The...
