Steelers/NFL category, Page 23
After slow start, Steelers’ defense sees improvement in stopping the run in back-to-back wins
The biggest issue facing the Pittsburgh Steelers defense last year continued to stand out like a highway construction project in the early weeks of the 2025 season. The difference was, the Steelers’ run defense wasn’t grinding anybody to a halt. Memories of that forgettable playoff performance against the Baltimore Ravens,...
Steelers 4 Downs: ‘Explosive’ runs on both sides of ball has been area of gradual improvement
1. Big runs up/down For a franchise whose ethos has long been embodied by running the ball well and stopping opponents from doing so, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ NFL ranks at each through four weeks could not have been heartening. Headed into their bye this weekend, the Steelers ranked 31st in...
Pittsburgh’s newest ‘Mr. Eligible,’ OL Spencer Anderson aids Steelers’ run game as extra TE
From 3,000 miles away, there was one of the almost 8 million television viewers whom Spencer Anderson was thinking about most during his debut playing football in Europe. “Every time I came in,” the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman said of last week’s game in Dublin, “I would yell to the...
Football Footnotes: How the Steelers can improve their offense during the bye
The Pittsburgh Steelers players won’t be on the field during the bye week. But hopefully the coaches are using the extra time to figure out ways to improve the offense. As good as 3-1 may feel right now, there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly on that side of...
First Call: Could Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson really be moved again?; Gavin McKenna to make PSU debut
Friday’s “First Call” links Kenny Pickett’s name to trade speculation again. A pair of ex-Pittsburgh Pirates performed well in MLB playoff elimination games. Local college hockey is getting ramped up. And there is a full weekend of bounce-back potential for some regional college football teams. Pickett predicament Could ex-Steeler Kenny...
Special teams shaping the outcome of Steelers games through 4 weeks of season
Special teams contributed to the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their season opener in New Jersey. Special teams contributed to them losing their home opener a week later. And the good and bad of Danny Smith’s units were on display last weekend in Dublin. No matter the venue, special teams have played...
First Call: Steelers game in Ireland posts huge TV ratings; John Harbaugh fuzzy on Lamar Jackson’s status
Thursday’s “First Call” boasts some eye-popping ratings for Steelers-Vikings in Ireland. The Baltimore Ravens injury report is eye-catching as well. And in the Major League Baseball playoffs, one former Pirate nailed down a save for his team, while another is trying to extend his club’s season on Thursday. Early wake-up...
U mad, bro?: Mike Tomlin’s decision-making, Pirates’ failures anger fans
The Steelers are going into the bye weekend at 3-1 and in first place atop the AFC North. Nothing to complain about, right? Ha! That’s a good one! via GIPHY So long as Mike Tomlin is managing the clock and the Pirates are playing baseball, that’s never going to be...
Mentally sharp after month of ‘projects’ and ‘presentations,’ Steelers’ Will Howard eager to come off IR
No, the finger injury Will Howard suffered early during training camp didn’t compel the rookie quarterback to give up his playing career and try out coaching. And, no, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t running Howard through any sort of rookie initiation akin to an intern not quite entrusted with any of...
First Call: Lamar Jackson’s injury timeline; ex-Steelers DB heading to NFC South
Wednesday’s “First Call” has news about a departing Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back. Lamar Jackson could be down for a while in Baltimore. The Atlantic 10’s commissioner wants a bigger NCAA Tournament. And we check in on some former Pirates in the MLB playoffs. Pillaging the practice squad The Tampa Bay...
Tight end Connor Heyward thrives running Steelers’ debut ‘tush push’
Apparently not comfortable, for obvious reasons, letting their 41-year-old quarterback run the so-called “tush push,” the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to Connor Heyward. Though some other teams have deployed tight ends to run plays up the middle on third- or fourth-and-1 snaps over the past two seasons or so, Heyward is...
Steelers notes: Scotty Miller next up on punt return, Danny Smith’s message to Kaleb Johnson
After Calvin Austin III left Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers game because of a shoulder injury — one that is expected to cause him to miss game time — much of the conversation about replacing him is, naturally, related to his role as the No. 2 wide receiver. But Austin has another...
After WR Calvin Austin’s shoulder injury, Steelers look to fill his absence from within
If Calvin Austin sits out games because of a shoulder injury, it will raise an all-too-familiar question for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Who will be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver? Austin had his shoulder in a sling and was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the Pittsburgh Steelers...
Tim Benz: With 13 games to go for the Steelers, we should still ask ‘how’ while counting ‘how many’
As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to hit their bye weekend at roughly the quarter pole of their 17-game regular season, they do so with results outpacing the process. At this point in the calendar — and upon taking a quick glance at the standings — maybe that’s OK. Four games...
5 things we learned from Steelers win in Ireland: ‘Jumbo’ package aids run game
Some observations gleaned from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-21 victory Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin: 1. Going Jumbo Get ready, Steelers fans. For the next home game, you might have yourself a new folk hero. A few years after Zach Banner became recognizable because he was so often introduced...
Sacks, takeaways, splash — Steelers coming up with big plays from all over the defense
A look at the NFL’s team statistical leaders Monday morning might have felt as familiar as it was heartening for fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team that had made its very identity on defense — “Blitzburgh” — once again found itself atop the league in sacks. A second consecutive...
Steelers vs. Vikings: What they’re saying in Minnesota after the loss
The luck of the Irish was with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday as they staved off a comeback effort from the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland. The Vikings trailed 24-6 early in the fourth quarter but rallied to end the game with a slim...
First Call: Calvin Austin calms injury concerns; George Pickens’ monster game; Lamar Jackson hurt
Monday’s “First Call” gets us up to speed on Calvin Austin’s injury. Another former Pittsburgh Steeler suffered a scary hit in Buffalo, and we’ll examine how some ex-Steelers did at wide receiver. That includes George Pickens, who had a big game for Dallas. Providing an update Steelers wide receiver Calvin...
Madden Monday: ‘Kenneth Gainwell should be the No. 1 running back’ even when Jaylen Warren returns
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland on Sunday, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X saw some significant holes in the victory. In particular, as he said on this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden wasn’t thrilled with many of Mike Tomlin’s fourth-quarter coaching...
Feats of Strength: DK’s big play, Kenny G’s TDs key Steelers win in Ireland
For much of their game in Ireland, the Pittsburgh Steelers felt like they were leading the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The Guinness was flowing. The Terrible Towels were waving. Everyone was dancing an Irish jig. Then the fourth quarter happened, and the tone changed. The Steelers hung on to win...
WR Calvin Austin sustains shoulder injury, heads to hospital during Steelers’ win against Vikings
Wide receiver Calvin Austin was injured early in the fourth quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 24-21 victory Sunday after catching an 8-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers. He was hit by Byron Murphy on the play and was ruled out with a shoulder injury. Austin was taken to a Dublin hospital...
Kenny Gainwell gets surprise start, scores 2 touchdowns for Steelers in win against Vikings
Signed to be a complementary member of the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield in free agency, Kenny Gainwell was thrust into a starting role Sunday out of circumstance. He took the opportunity and, well, ran with it. Taking advantage of an injury to starter Jaylen Warren, Gainwell was the workhorse of the...
Steelers’ defense staves off Vikings’ rally, secures victory in Dublin
It was a performance that would have made Dan Rooney proud. For the NFL’s first trip to Dublin in the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers honored their late chairman and ambassador to Ireland with a throwback performance in a 24-21 victory against the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park. A suffocating...
RB Jaylen Warren inactive for Steelers’ game in Dublin with knee injury
Limited in practice all week, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is inactive with a knee injury and won’t play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in Dublin’s Croke Park. Veteran free agent signing Kenny Gainwell is expected to start for the Steelers (2-1) against the Vikings (2-1) in the...
What’s the craic? Steelers and Vikings fans set for Dublin game
DUBLIN — Aiden Scott will catch up on sleep another time. The opportunity to watch his Steelers play in Ireland is pretty rare. The college student and his father, Aaron, arrived in Dublin on Saturday ahead of Pittsburgh’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park. They were decked out...
