On Sports: Ex-Steelers punter makes impact for Bills; Penguins' core 4 reunion on tap; Pirates rank at bottom of MLB homers

In Friday’s “On Sports,” we look at an impactful play from the Buffalo Bills-Miami Dolphins game featuring a former Pittsburgh Steelers player.

One local coach appears in the odds for the next coach to be fired, while another former local coach makes his debut in a new job.

We also look at the (brief) return of the Penguins’ “core four” and more.

Former Steelers in Bills-Dolphins clash

A former Steelers player made an impact in Thursday’s night game between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. More precisely, an impact made into him could be considered the game’s turning point.

With the score tied at 21-all, the Dolphins’ Zach Sieler was flagged for roughing punter Cameron Johnston for an automatic first down, with the Bills scoring on the drive to take a 28-21 lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the 31-21 win.

Johnston played one game for the Steelers in 2024, suffering a season-ending injury, and was cut this August. Johnston had two punts in the game, averaging 47.5 yards per kick.

This roughing the punter call gives the Bills a free 1st down. pic.twitter.com/Dpfb4vx2qa

— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) September 19, 2025

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, traded by the Steelers in the offseason, had five tackles for the Dolphins.

On the firing line

Heading into Thursday night’s game, Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is the odds-on favorite to be the next NFL coach to be fired at -500, according to oddsshark.com.

And a 31-21 road loss to the Bills, dropping the Dolphins to 0-3, probably isn’t going to help McDaniel either.

For the record, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is eighth on the list, at +3300 odds.

Return of the ‘core four’

A lot has been made (and rightfully so) of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury making one final appearance with the Penguins in a preseason game on Sept. 27.

It sounds like the Penguins’ “core four” from their Stanley Cup years — Fleury, center Sidney Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang — will play on the same team in a game for the first time since a 4-3 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 16, 2017. Letang missed the playoffs that year because of neck surgery for a herniated disk in his neck, and Fleury was taken in the expansion draft after the season by the Vegas Golden Knights.

“I would imagine that all three of us should play (in Fleury’s game),” Letang said Thursday of himself, Crosby and Malkin. “It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I imagine we do.”

Letang says he expects to play Sept. 27 at home vs. CBJ along with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when Marc-Andre Fleury suits up during the preseason.

"I would imagine that all three of us should play. It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I imagine we do."

— Justin Guerriero (@GuerrieroTrib) September 18, 2025

Power outage

The Pirates didn’t hit any home runs Thursday night, but this time they have an excuse — the team was off before hosting their final homestand.

In the team’s 153 games so far, the Pirates have hit only 108 home runs this season to rank last in the majors. The San Diego Padres are second-to-last with 140 through Thursday night.

If the Pirates continue at their same pace in the final nine games, they’ll finish with around 114. Besides the covid-shortened 2020 season, which was only 60 games, the Pirates would be among the lowest totals of the past 10 seasons.

Sullivan’s debut for New York

Former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan will make his debut behind the New York Rangers’ bench this weekend.

Sullivan and the Penguins agreed to part ways April 28, and just four days later he landed the job with the Rangers, where he had been an assistant in the past.

The Rangers open their preseason schedule with a 1 p.m. Sunday game at the New Jersey Devils.