First Call: Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin have different takes on running more; Ravens pull within a game of Steelers

In Monday’s “First Call,” Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are singing different tunes about the run game.

Justin Fields and the Jets beat the Browns. The Ravens get another win. Russell Wilson is quarterbacking the Giants again.

Plus, we have lots to discuss on the local college basketball front.

Different pages

After their ugly 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers had varying opinions on an important topic.

Should the team be running more?

Running back Jaylen Warren was the lone bright spot for the entire offense. He ended up with 70 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards on just 16 touches. Yet Tomlin bristled when asked if the offense should’ve run the ball more often.

“Guys, when we’re, 0 for 9 or 10 on third downs, we aren’t going to have enough snaps,” Tomlin quipped during his postgame press conference. “We’ve been over that discussion a lot. … Next.”

Coach Tomlin addresses the media following our game against the Chargers. @Acrisure pic.twitter.com/HB5k0h1ssL

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2025

Rodgers had a different answer.

“Jaylen made some really nice plays,” Rodgers said after the loss. “He’s a talented guy. We’ve got to get him more touches.”

I’m going to go with Rodgers on this one. In Tomlin’s eyes, if third-down conversions were the issue in the first place, Warren didn’t get a touch on any of them — and four were for 5 yards or less.

Maybe that’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone.

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Just enough from Justin

Former Steeler Justin Fields helped his club take out an AFC North team.

Against Cleveland on Sunday, Fields only threw for 54 yards on 6 of 11 passing, and 42 of those yards came on a touchdown catch and run by Breece Hall on a screen that was caught behind the line of scrimmage.

BREECE HALL TOUCHDOWN ????✈

NICE screen pass#Jets | ???? @nyjets pic.twitter.com/bOO5ZCb5jg

— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) November 9, 2025

Fields also threw a pick. He added 28 yards rushing. The Jets scored on a punt return and a kick return. That was enough to beat the Browns at home 27-20. Both teams are now 2-7.

Elsewhere in the division, the Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) were idle in advance of their trip to Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. And the Baltimore Ravens won in Minnesota (4-5), 27-19. At 4-5, the Ravens are now just one game behind the Steelers for the AFC North lead.

Getting on the Russ Bus

The New York Giants had to turn to former Steeler Russell Wilson during their snowy game against the Chicago Bears.

It didn’t go great.

Wilson had to come in for Jaxson Dart in the fourth quarter as he was being evaluated for a concussion. Wilson was only 3 for 7 for 45 yards. He was sacked twice with no interceptions or touchdowns, and ran for 12 yards.

Trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Bears came back to win.

RUSSELL WILSON SAVES THE DAY FOR THE GIANTS! pic.twitter.com/27sY7AEI08

— NFL Drop (@TheNFLDrop) November 9, 2025

New York fell to 2-8. The Bears improved to 6-3. They are in a tie with Detroit for the last playoff spot in the NFC. The Lions currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Monday Madness

The Pitt men’s basketball team hits the floor for its third game at 7 p.m. Monday. The Panthers host Eastern Michigan out of the MAC.

The teams have only played once before. That was the season opener for 2016. The game went two overtimes, and the Panthers won 93-90. Jamel Artis had 27 points. Michael Young had 26.

Jeff Capel’s crew beat Youngstown State, 74-59, in their opener, and they won 78-60 over Longwood on Friday. EMU hasn’t played since its opener Nov. 3, a 71-49 victory against Georgia State.

Also on Monday, Robert Morris hosts Geneva at 7 p.m. The Colonials are coming off an impressive upset win at Drake last week. That’s a team that won 31 games and an NCAA Tournament game last year.

Buck those Broncos

The Duquesne women’s basketball team went to Kalamazoo on Sunday and beat Western Michigan, 72-64.

Freshman Alexis Bordas posted 24 points, draining five 3-point shots along the way.

Business trip complete✅#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/30ne7GhpeS

— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) November 9, 2025

Harriet Ford (15 points) and Dunja Zecevic (10 points) were also in double-digits.

The Dukes are now 3-0. They host West Liberty at 5 p.m. Tuesday. That’s a doubleheader with the men’s team, which tips at 8 p.m. against the Queens Royals.