First Call: Steelers-Browns record TV ratings, Aaron Donald news, gamblers buying Penguins chances

The Steelers-Browns wild-card game set some record TV ratings. Penn Hills product Aaron Donald is trying to be ready for Sunday’s playoff game in Green Bay despite a painful injury. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is giving a hard sell on an offseason acquisition.

And the gambling community is starting to jump on the Penguins as opening night approaches.

All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

Well, that’s just great

So, the Steelers humiliated themselves against the Cleveland Browns Sunday night in a 48-37 loss. But at least nobody was watching.

What’s that? The ratings?

Were they good?

Yeah? How good?

Oh. Oh, my.

According to NBC Sports, the primetime matchup drew nearly 25 million viewers. That was the most-watched primetime show since Super Bowl LIV last February.

NBC said that the game also set a record as its most-streamed non-Super Bowl NFL game ever. It had an average minute audience of 1.04 million viewers across Peacock, Verizon and the official digital platforms of NBC and the NFL.

And as for Cleveland, well, via Cleveland.com, “in Cleveland 74 percent of all viewers in the market watching TV at the time” were watching the game.

Jumpin’ on the bandwagon

I’m not sure what’s going on here. Either absence makes the heart grow fonder or maybe we forgot how bad the Penguins were in their qualifying round series against the Montreal Canadiens since it was so long ago.

But the money must be rolling in on the Pens to win the Stanley Cup as the season draws near.

Sidney Crosby and company take to the ice Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers in their 2021 debut. And they will do so as a 16/1 shot to win the Stanley Cup, according to Betonline.ag.

That number is tied with the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. Only five teams have tighter odds. The Colorado Avalanche are the favorites (13/2), followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights (9/1). Then it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins (12/1).

Back on Sept. 28, the Penguins’ odds were a bit longer at 22/1.

Gotta have faith

A lot of people have second-guessed the Penguins’ acquisition of defenseman Mike Matheson. He was the primary return from Florida in exchange for wildly popular forward Patric Hornqvist.

Matheson is viewed to have a great deal of speed and some offensive game. In four full years, he has 33 goals and 58 points. However Matheson is not reputed to be very responsible defensively and makes some questionable puck-management decisions.

Plus, at $4.8 million until 2026, Matheson is pricey. But, appearing on his radio program on 105.9 The X, Pens general manager Jim Rutherford insisted Matheson was a good get for the team’s blueline.

“He’s a very capable guy,” Rutherford told host Josh Getzoff. “He has to make some adjustments in his game. He can’t try to make those plays in high-risk situations. If he can limit those, he can be a really good player for us.”

Rutherford says Matheson is developing good chemistry with defensive partner John Marino. And he likes the way Matheson has been taking instruction from assistant coach Todd Reirden.

Deciding on Donald

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald suffered a rib injury during his team’s wild-card round win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

The team held a walkthrough on Tuesday. So that means that the participation levels of players are only “estimated.” And, via ProFootballTalk.com, the Defensive Player of the Year candidate would not have practiced.

But head coach Sean McVay is expecting the former Pitt star to play this Saturday in Green Bay. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp is dealing with a knee issue. He would’ve been a non-participant, too. He is also expected to suit up this weekend.

Quarterback John Wolford is day-to-day with a neck stinger. He would’ve sat out Tuesday as well. Quarterback Jared Goff (thumb), wide receiver Nsimba Webster (hamstring), and left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee) could’ve been limited participants.