Tim Benz: There’s a new narrative surrounding Mike Tomlin and it needs to end now
We’ve reached the point where many former Pittsburgh Steelers players, national media members and Mike Tomlin true believers are finally ready to admit that it’s time for a change at the head coaching position in Pittsburgh. After 18 full seasons — 14 of which have ended without a playoff victory....
Jahmyr Gibbs leads Lions to much-needed win over Cowboys
DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs and a defense that suddenly generated pressure and turnovers helped the Detroit Lions stay in contention for a playoff berth. Gibbs ran for three touchdowns, including a 13-yarder with 2:19 left that sealed the Lions’ much-needed 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. The...
Supersized World Cup field begins taking shape at Friday’s draw
WASHINGTON — FIFA has invited more teams than ever for a World Cup priced largely for fans in the 1%. The process of figuring out which teams in the expanded 48-nation field will play where begins with Friday’s draw at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Cape Verde, Curaçao,...
Video review saves Penguins in wild win over Lightning
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, in his team’s wild adventure of a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the venue now known as Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday. But in reality, the NHL was...
Nikolaos Chitikoudis lifts Robert Morris to win in final seconds
Robert Morris’ 80-78 victory Thursday night at Green Bay — the Colonials’ fourth straight triumph — represented a stunning comeback for the defending Horizon League champs. It was a classic. “You’ve got to enjoy them when you steal one like that,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said on the RMU...
Pitt volleyball ready to make another NCAA run
Pitt’s women’s volleyball has had a national title within its grasp the last four seasons and has come up short. It has lost in the semifinals. Will this be the season the Panthers (26-4) break through? “I do not know. We have to get there first,” Pitt coach Dan Fisher...
Pirates trade Johan Oviedo to Red Sox for top-100 outfield prospect in 1st move of offseason
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first move of the offseason, acquiring a top-100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia in a five-player deal that sent right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates are giving up Oviedo, left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman in exchange for...
Surprising Duke meets Virginia in ACC title game amid CFP uncertainty
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s the ACC championship game that was hard to imagine back in September and one that could muddle the College Football Playoff scenario. Duke, by virtue of winning a complicated five-team tiebreaker, will face No. 16 Virginia on Saturday night in Charlotte after both teams overcame steep...
Georgia looks to end Alabama’s rivalry dominance in SEC final
ATLANTA — After No. 3 Georgia closed an 11-1 regular season with its eighth straight win over Georgia Tech last week, coach Kirby Smart was asked about his senior class dominating its top rivals through four seasons. Smart replied with a reminder that Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee do...
WR Adam Thielen compares joining Steelers this late in season to ‘learning a new language’
For the first time since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, Adam Thielen was scheduled to meet with the media immediately after practice Thursday. Instead, he spent a half hour at the team’s indoor practice facility running plays and concepts with quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Meetings were...
Alex Highsmith named Steelers’ winner of Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award
Alex Highsmith on Thursday was named the Pittsburgh Steelers club winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, a coveted off-field league honor intended to recognize players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game. The sixth-year...
3 days before game vs. Steelers, Lamar Jackson (ankle) sits out Ravens practice
It’s been clear that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson hasn’t been playing at 100% in recent weeks. Three days prior to a first-place showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson did not take part in the Baltimore Ravens’ practice. Jackson did not participate in Thursday’s practice in Owings Mills, Md., because of...
Former Steelers CB Darius Slay puts off reporting to Bills to contemplate futureVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed Thursday. “Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from...
Kyle Dugger misses Steelers practice; Patrick Queen returns; Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt full go
Starting strong safety Kyle Dugger was an addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers injury report Thursday, but Patrick Queen returned to practice and stars Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt participated fully. Dugger was listed on the status report as having a hand injury. He practiced fully and had no designation Wednesday...
NFL mandates new playing-surface standards by 2028
The playing surfaces at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season. NFL field director Nick Pappas detailed the plans for the program Thursday that will provide each team “a library of approved and accredited...
Success of current players a key selling point on recruiting trail for Pitt’s coaches
Pitt’s coaches utilize a variety of strategies on the recruiting trail when courting prospects. Team culture, coaching stability, playing time and NIL and revenue-sharing are all pieces of the puzzle relayed by Pat Narduzzi and his staff to potential future Panthers. Particularly helpful is being able to point to current...
Mark Madden: It’s time to admit the unpleasant truth about Mike Tomlin’s Steelers tenure
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bad. Prehistoric offense. Rotten defense that costs $163 million. Old and getting older. Stars fading fast. Awful decisions piling up. It’s time to form a narrative. That narrative is: It’s not Mike Tomlin’s fault. That’s the vibe, especially on the national front. There are several forks...
First Call: Darius Slay claimed off waivers; Browns open practice window for Deshaun Watson; Pens start rugged stretch
Thursday’s “First Call” has a new destination for former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darius Slay. The prospect exists that the Steelers might get to face Deshaun Watson when they visit Cleveland after Christmas. The Penguins open up a brutal stretch of games against one of the NHL’s division leaders Thursday...
U mad, bro?: Angry Steelers fans blame everything from coach to weather to ‘Renegade’
I don’t even need to ask. I know you’re mad, bro. The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost 11 of their last 17 games. It’s their record. It’s their effort. It’s their coaching. It’s their roster construction. It’s the franchise’s lack of urgency. It’s the feeling that things are only going...
Minor league report: Nailers, Maxim Pavlenko shut out RoyalsVideo
Goaltender Maxim Pavlenko made 32 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-0 win against the Reading Royals at Santander Arena in Reading on Wednesday. The result was Pavlenko’s second shutout of the season at the ECHL level and boosted his record to 6-3-0. Forwards Craig Armstrong, Max Graham and...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson returns to practice for 1st time in more than a yearVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson was set to practice for the first time this year with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, opening the 21-day window for the quarterback to return to the lineup. His practice time will not count against the 53-player active roster. Watson is eligible to be activated...
West Virginia men use pair of 14-0 runs to blow past Coppin State
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Honor Huff and Chance Moore each scored 17 points to lead West Virginia’s 91-49 rout of Coppin State on Wednesday night. Huff hit three 3-pointers in a 4-minute stretch late in the first half, giving the Mountaineers a 40-26 lead. The Eagles scored the last six points...
Ravens reach a 3-year contract extension with TE Mark Andrews
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens agreed to a three-year contract extension with Mark Andrews on Wednesday, days after the tight end became the franchise’s career leader in receptions. Baltimore was facing some significant decisions after this season, with the 30-year-old Andrews and fellow tight ends Isaiah Likely and...
Colts’ Daniel Jones turns to college friends for help with injured leg
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones is getting a little more help from his friends. Seven years after two teammates created a special pad to protect Jones’ fractured collarbone, the same duo has done it again, this time to fit over Jones’ injured lower left leg. Jones said Wednesday...
Blue-chip prospects make surprising choices on signing day
The changing landscape of college football means the nation’s premier recruits are no longer signing with the same handful of programs. That became particularly apparent this week when the nation’s top-ranked prospect landed in Vanderbilt of all places. Vanderbilt parlayed the first 10-win season in school history into a recruiting...
