First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick tops AFC free safety voting; Ravens deal with more injuries; Pens-Rangers renew rivalry

Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us which Pittsburgh Steeler is tops among his peers in Pro Bowl votes. Meanwhile, a few Ravens are dealing with bumps and bruises on the defensive side of the ball.

On the hockey front, the Penguins finally get a crack at avenging last year’s playoff loss to the New York Rangers.

In college basketball, Pitt and Syracuse square off in ACC play. And the Duquesne women’s team gets a career high from a local sharp shooter.

Fitzpatrick is first

Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick finished first among players at his position in Pro Bowl fan voting. Detroit’s Kerby Joseph led on the NFC side.

Fitzpatrick was the only Steeler to lead among fan votes at his position. Former Steeler Javon Hargrave got the NFC honor at nose tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Penn State product Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys) was tops among NFC outside linebackers.

Fan voting counts for one-third of the selection process, along with voting by players and coaches. The entire rosters will be revealed at 8 p.m. Wednesday on NFL Network. Monday night it was revealed that Aaron Donald (Penn Hill/Pitt) will be on the NFC roster.

The actual Pro Bowl itself has been scrapped because of lackluster play and disinterest over the years. Instead, a series of contests featuring skills competitions and seven-on-seven flag football games will be staged Feb. 5 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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Ravens rematch

A pair of high-profile Baltimore Ravens (9-5) got banged up during their Saturday loss to the Cleveland Browns (6-8). Their availability for upcoming games has come into question.

After beating the Steelers (6-8) by a final score of 16-14 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 11, the two AFC North rivals will rematch in Baltimore on Jan.1.

However, Baltimore may have to navigate their immediate future around injuries to two veteran starters on defense. Both cornerback Marcus Peters and defensive lineman Calais Campbell suffered injuries during the 13-3 defeat in Cleveland last weekend. According to some national reports, both could be sidelined for a bit.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Campbell is dealing with a knee issue. ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Marcus Peters has a strained calf.

#Ravens DL Calais Campbell could miss some time with a knee injury suffered Saturday vs. Cleveland, per source. Severity uncertain but status for Week 16 vs. Falcons very much up in the air.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 19, 2022

#Ravens Pro Bowl CB Marcus Peters suffered a mild calf strain in Saturday’s game, and while he likely misses some time, the absence should be a short one, source said.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 19, 2022

Campbell had a crucial block of a Chris Boswell field-goal attempt in the Ravens victory at Acrisure Stadium. Peters had four tackles and a pass deflection.

Ranger reunion

The Penguins will face the New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night. It’s the first time the Pens will face their Metropolitan Division rival all year. The last time Sidney Crosby and company faced off against New York, it was at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs. The Penguins lost that game 4-3 in overtime.

In an odd scheduling quirk, the two clubs won’t see each other again until mid-March, when the two teams will lock horns three times over five days (March 12, 16, 18).

The game is the first of five remaining for the Pens before the New Year. The Penguins are in Boston for the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. All five of the remaining games in 2022 are against Eastern Conference competition. Two other clubs from the Metro that the Pens have yet to face this season — the New York Islanders (Dec. 27) and New Jersey Devils (Dec. 30) — are among the opponents.

The Rangers come to Pittsburgh red hot. They have won seven games in a row and have 41 points. That’s good for third in the division. The Penguins have 40 points and currently occupy the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers have won their last two games, 6-3 in Philadelphia on Saturday and 7-1 in Chicago on Sunday. New York’s Artemi Panarin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby are tied for ninth in the NHL in points with 40 apiece.

Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I previewed the string of Metro Division games in this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast.

Onto face Otto

The Pitt basketball team (8-4) travels to Syracuse, N.Y. for its second ACC game Tuesday night (9 p.m., ESPNU).

It’s been a bumpy start for the Syracuse Orange (8-4) in Jim Boeheim’s 47th season. Syracuse has lost games at home to the likes of Colgate and Bryant. They also fell by 29 to Illinois last month in the ACC-Big Ten challenge.

However, the Orange have won five in a row, including victories over ACC foe Notre Dame and longtime rival Georgetown.

As for Pitt, they are coming off of a 25-point win against Sacred Heart and a 26-point win against North Florida.

The two teams split last year’s contests, with Syracuse winning at the JMA Dome, 77-61 (Jan. 11), and Pitt winning at the Petersen Events Center, 64-53 (Jan. 25). Buddy Boeheim led the Orange in scoring both times with 24 in the first game and 25 in the second game. He is currently on a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Mouhamadou Gueye led the Panthers in the first game with 14 points during the loss. Jamarius Burton had 21 to lead the victory in the rematch. Burton is Pitt’s second-leading scorer this season at 14.9 points per game.

Tess’ time

The Duquesne women’s basketball team breezed to an 87-60 victory Monday afternoon against Cornell. Dan Burt’s club rebounded after a 66-60 loss to Temple on Friday night to improve to 9-3 overall.

Sophomore guard Tess Myers (Lower Burrell) tied her career high with 23 points.

3Q | @tessmyers24 with her 4th three-pointer of the game!

Duquesne 51, Cornell 28#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/d2Wa3OiZdj

— Duquesne Women's Basketball (@DuqWBB) December 19, 2022

The North Catholic product also set new career highs with seven three-pointers and 10 rebounds. It was the first double-double of her career.

Chartiers Valley alum Megan McConnell added 12 points and 11 assists for her fifth double-double of the season. The Dukes next play Howard at 11 a.m. Wednesday. It’s part of a double-header with the men’s team, which will play Winthrop at 2 p.m. at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.