First Call: Steelers are historically big underdogs for Buffalo game; Roger Maris' son takes jab at Barry Bonds

Wednesday’s “First Call” starts with one of the Buffalo Bills propping up new Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett.

We have some wild stats about the Steelers being a two-touchdown underdog this weekend in that game.

Plus, we found some massive television viewership numbers for the NFL and painful perspective about the playoffs for Pirates fans.

Poyer praises Pickett

If the Buffalo Bills defense is going to intimidate Kenny Pickett, they are at least going to wait until the game Sunday. It appears little will be done to get in the head of the Steelers’ new starting quarterback through the media.

Bills defensive star Jordan Poyer had this to say about the rookie out of Pitt.

“(They have) got a rookie quarterback coming in here, a top, first-round pick. A guy who has got all the potential in the world,” Poyer said on Tuesday’s edition of the Pat McAfee Show.

The All-Pro safety went on to say that it’s clear to him the Steelers didn’t need to simplify their offense just for Pickett.

“They didn’t really change much in the second half of that Jets game with the way they were running the ball, with the plays that they were calling. So I’m sure they’re going to come out with (some) little wrinkles for us on Sunday, but you really just kind of watch their offense as a whole, get some tips, get some reminders throughout the week,” Poyer continued.

Poyer already has four interceptions in three games played this season for Buffalo.

Sizeable spread

The Steelers are 14-point underdogs to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

If that seems like a lot to you, you’re right.

Via ESPN Stats and Info researcher Mackenzie Kraemer, the Steelers are the only team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to never be at least a 14-point underdog. He says their largest underdog role since the merger is +13.5 against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX.

The Steelers covered in that game, losing 27-17.

Kraemer also came up with this pearl about the Steelers loss to the Jets.

The Jets have played the Steelers 27 times all-time, and they've never scored more than 24 points against them.

— Mackenzie Kraemer (@MackNova) October 2, 2022

Well, they got to 24 on Sunday, and that was enough, winning at Acrisure Stadium 24-20.

Related

• Tim Benz: Yes, Mitch Trubisky is getting a raw deal with the Steelers, but he should've seen it coming
• Pitt coaches aren't surprised by Kenny Pickett's fast rise to Steelers' QB1
• Injuries leave Steelers secondary shorthanded entering week of practice ahead of Bills game

Ratings roll

The television numbers continue to pop for early season NFL football.

It could be a matter of more streaming tentacles saturated with advertising during the week, the increase in legalized sports gambling and fantasy football or people just tuning in to root on their favorite teams.

CBS released its latest numbers from the past weekend. The network claims Sunday’s national game window — piloted by the Green Bay Packers’ overtime victory over the New England Patriots — averaged 24.647 million viewers. That’s the most-watched Week 4 window on CBS since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998. It’s up +8% vs. last year’s comparable window.

This season, CBS Sports is averaging 18.559 million viewers per game. The network claims that it is the best start it has had since 2010.

Bashing Bonds?

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run Tuesday night in Texas. That sets a new American League single-season home run record. Former Yankee Roger Maris held the record since 1961 when he hit 61 homers for the Bronx Bombers.

Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco served up the record-setting pitch.

Remember where you were when #AaronJudge made history. 6️⃣2️⃣ #AllRise pic.twitter.com/w4kbDJf5ZC

— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2022

While it’s the most homers ever hit in the AL, that number has been surpassed in the National League six times. Former Pirate Barry Bonds has the record with 73 for San Francisco in 2001. That’s followed by Mark McGwire’s 70 in St. Louis and Sammy Sosa’s 66 in 1998. McGwire also had 65 in 1999. Sosa posted 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999.

But all three were either implicated for using, admitted to using, or reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

That prompted Rogers Maris Jr. to send this tweet after Judge’s homer.

Congratulations to Aaron Judge and his family on Aaron’s historic home run number 62! It has definitely been a baseball season to remember. You are all class and someone who should be revered. For the MAJORITY of the fans, we can now celebrate a new CLEAN HOME RUN KING!!

— Roger Maris Jr (@RogerMarisJr) October 5, 2022

Maris Jr. didn’t take a swat at any of them by name with this tweet. But did he have to in order to make his point?

Well, when you put it that way

Thursday will mark the 30th anniversary of Game 1 of the 1992 National League Championship Series between the Pirates and the Atlanta Braves. The Pirates lost that game 5-1.

They also lost Game 7 by a final score of 3-2, as you may recall.

10/14/1992- Francisco Cabrera impulsa dos carreras para darle la victoria a #LosBravos sobre Piratas y avanzar a la Serie Mundial. pic.twitter.com/1kqS8hkb65

— Bravos de Atlanta (@LosBravos) October 14, 2016

Well, the Braves won the National League East again Tuesday night by way of a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins. That’s the franchise’s fifth-straight division title.

In the 30 years since the Braves eliminated the Pirates in October 1992, the Braves have 18 division crowns and two wild-card berths. They’ve gone to the World Series four times and won it twice.

By way of comparison, the Pirates haven’t won a division title since ‘92. They’ve only had four winning seasons and three wild-card appearances.

So when we all said, “That’s it. It’s all over,” after Sid Bream scored on Francisco Cabrera’s base hit, we were all more accurate than we ever thought we’d be.