In Friday’s “First Call,” Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase explains the predictability of the Steelers’ defense. An ex-Pirate shines on the mound during the NLCS. The Penguins prepare to close out their early West Coast road trip.

And Robert Morris opened its men’s hockey season with a tough challenge against a top-5 opponent.

Knew what was coming

If it looked like the Cincinnati Bengals were expecting exactly what they were getting from the Steelers on defense, you were right.

Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase said the Steelers came out in a defensive look that the Bengals anticipated during Cincy’s 33-31 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

“They did exactly what we were expecting and hoping they’d do,” Chase said via video from the team’s YouTube page.

“Man (coverage). We knew they were going to put Joey (Porter Jr.) on Tee (Higgins) and put Jalen (Ramsey) on me. We knew that we were ready for it. We knew that we were going to take advantage of those opportunities.

That may not have been exactly the case all night. On at least one play that Flacco described during a postgame interview on Prime Video, the Steelers bracketed both of the Bengals’ star receivers. So Flacco hit Andrei Iosivas for 37 yards instead.

Chase caught 16 passes on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown. Higgins posted a touchdown and 96 yards on six receptions.

Tee just hit the turbo ????

????: #PITvsCIN on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/2kUAUvtOcq

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 17, 2025

Flacco ended up with 342 yards through the air on 31 of 47 passing.

Going to Glasnow

Former Pirate Tyler Glasnow had another strong postseason outing for the Dodgers. He gave up only one run against the Milwaukee Brewers in 5 ⅔ innings during a start Thursday night in the National League Championship Series.

L.A. ended up winning 3-1, taking a 3-0 lead in the NLCS. Glasnow racked up eight strikeouts, allowed three hits and three walks before getting pulled.

Tyler Glasnow's 8th (and final) Strikeout. pic.twitter.com/mPixtJIB0g

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 16, 2025

Glasnow had 7 ⅔ innings of scoreless baseball during two appearances (one out of the bullpen) in the National League Divisional Series against the Phillies before L.A. advanced to play the Brewers.

Los Angeles looks for a sweep and a second straight trip to the World Series Friday night. Shohei Ohtani pitches for L.A. Meanwhile, Toronto beat Seattle, 8-2, to even up the American League Championship series at 2-2.

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Wrapping it up out west

After splitting the first two games of their West Coast trip, the Penguins conclude their three-game swing through California on Saturday in San Jose.

Dan Muse’s team dropped a 4-3 decision in Anaheim on Tuesday, then won in Los Angeles, 4-2, on Thursday. Up next, the Pens visit the Sharks at 10 p.m. Saturday.

At 3-2-0, the Pens are off to a better start than expected. The Sharks are 0-1-2, and all those games have been at home.

San Jose has fallen 4-3 in overtime to Las Vegas, 7-6 in OT to Anaheim and 5-1 to Carolina. The Sharks host the Utah Mammoth on Friday before welcoming the Penguins.

Jeff Skinner has two goals for San Jose. He’s the only player to score twice so far for the Sharks.

The Penguins beat San Jose, 4-3, in a shootout on Nov. 16 of last season and lost the return trip back in California, 2-1 on Jan. 27.

In the fight

Through 40 minutes, the Robert Morris Colonials played even with the No. 3/No. 4 Michigan Wolverines in their season opener Thursday night.

Michael Felsing and Luca Primerano both scored as the Colonials found themselves tied 2-2 heading into the third period.

THE PITTSBURGH KID????

Michael Felsing scores our first goal of the season!

RMU 1 - 0 MICHIGAN pic.twitter.com/n5A1GK7cCV

— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) October 17, 2025

FIRST CAREER GOAL FOR LUCA PRIMERANO????

We take back the lead!

RMU 2 - 1 MICHIGAN pic.twitter.com/V5xUpyVvAk

— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) October 17, 2025

However, Michigan’s Adam Valentini scored at the 7:50 mark of the final frame. Former Colonials recruit T.J. Hughes scored into an empty net, and the Wolverines (5-0-0) won 4-2.

The Colonials attempt to even the series Friday night before heading back to Pittsburgh and preparing for another road series against Notre Dame next weekend.

As for the women’s team, they open up a two-game series Friday night at Yale. The Colonials are 3-3. This is Yale’s opening series of the season.

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