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Steelers/NFL category, Page 113

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
5 things we learned: Steelers’ familiar defensive problems resurface in loss to 49ers
Five things we learned about 49ers 30, Steelers 7: 1. Defensive dilemma On the day the Pittsburgh Steelers reported to training camp, coach Mike Tomlin was emphatic in his belief that integrating so many newcomers into the defense wouldn’t require a learning curve. “I’ll be very blunt,” Tomlin said. “We’re...
Mark Madden: Kenny Pickett was brutal, but many Steelers shared in struggles against 49ers
Cam Heyward has tried to shoehorn “Big Ken” as a nickname for Kenny Pickett. Like Big Ben. Not yet. More like Bubby Pickett. Pickett is a first-round pick, a quarterback of some promise. But after Sunday’s home disaster vs. San Francisco, let’s shelve the superlatives for “Big Ken” till he...
Steelers vs. 49ers: What they’re saying in San Francisco after win
The San Francisco 49ers seemed to have had some leftover frustration from their offseason Sunday afternoon — and decided to use the Pittsburgh Steelers as their punching bag. The Niners steamrolled the Steelers in a 30-7 knockout at Acrisure Stadium. The 49ers dominated with quarterback Brock Purdy completing 19-of-29 passes...
First Call: Brock Purdy responds to Patrick Peterson’s suggestion his offense has ‘tells;’ Ravens’ costly injury; Browns’ big win
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played it cool after beating Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson for two touchdowns during Sunday’s dominating win at Acrisure Stadium. We look at what the Steelers may be getting from the Cleveland Browns next week. The Baltimore Ravens suffered a tough injury loss. And...
Madden Monday: In opener, Steelers QB Kenny Pickett was less like ‘Big Ken,’ more like ‘Bubby Pickett’
As Pittsburgh Steelers fans, we must admit that we are a rather simple lot. Like early evolutionary humans: A drought happened, and famine occurred — they assumed the sun god was angry. If there was a flood, the god of the sea is looking for vengeance. If the Steelers lose,...
Kenny Pickett, Steelers offense deliver a dud in much-anticipated Steelers’ season opener
By most accounts, the preseason was a perfect for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-team offense. Kenny Pickett’s passer rating? A perfect 158.3. A perfect 3-0 record. A perfect ratio of five touchdowns in five possessions, too. Perhaps that makes the 30-7 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the regular-season opener...
Airing of Grievances: Steelers look outmatched, ill-prepared vs. 49ers during regular season reality check
To begin each of the last two seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers shelved many concerns from their fans by upsetting top-notch playoff teams on the road: Buffalo (2021) and Cincinnati (2022). In the 2023 season opener Sunday, after a preseason that seemed to erase many issues that lingered from last winter,...
Steelers notes: Though they didn’t start, 5 rookies among 16 who make team debut
The lauded Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 draft class might yet make a major impact on the organization. Its members barely registered notice in their NFL debut, though. No rookies were in the starting lineup for Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. But five of the six rookies on the...
T.J. Watt ties Steelers career sacks record with 3 in opener vs. 49ers
When the day began, T.J. Watt sat in third place among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ career sacks leaders. He ended it tied for first. The sixth three-sack game of Watt’s career lifted him into a tie with James Harrison for the most sacks in franchise history with 80½. Watt brought down...
49ers clobber Steelers as perfect preseason is quickly forgotten
So much for all of that preseason hype surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers. The regular season arrived with great fanfare Sunday, and, simply put, the Steelers weren’t ready. Not for Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who routinely exploited the middle of the field against a retooled...
2 weeks after being acquired, CB Desmond King inactive for Steelers’ opener vs. 49ers
Eleven days, apparently, was not enough time for Desmond King to hop on the proverbial moving train. But more than three weeks without practicing fully was not a hindrance to Larry Ogunjobi. King, a veteran cornerback signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 31, was one of four players designated...
Steelers fans flocked to Acrisure Stadium for season opener
Thousands of Pittsburgh Steelers fans flocked to the North Shore and tailgating lots Sunday for the team’s season opener at Acrisure Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers. People began trickling in at around 8 a.m., and by 9, the festivities were in full swing, featuring loud pump-up music, food and...
Steelers’ Cam Heyward, Diontae Johnson knocked out of opener
Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers starters Cameron Heyward and Diontae Johnson did not finish Sunday’s season opener because of injury. The Steelers’ oldest player at 34 and a longtime co-captain, Heyward suffered what the team described as a groin injury during the first half of Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the San Francisco...
Bill Cowher, other NFL analysts see Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ready to ‘take the next step’
By virtue of their decision to name Kenny Pickett the lone offensive captain, Pittsburgh Steelers players — and by extension the coaching staff — recognize the growth and leadership the 25-year-old quarterback has displayed as he enters his second NFL season. Pickett also is starting to gain respect nationally, at...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Eagles over Bengals for Super Bowl LVIII and other NFL predictions
In my prior missive, I predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers to go 9-8 and miss the playoffs. Now, by way of formulaic preseason drivel, here are the rest of my NFL prognostications: AFC East winner: Buffalo. AFC West winner: Kansas City. AFC North winner: Cincinnati. AFC South winner: Jacksonville. AFC wild...
Steelers 4 Downs: Analytics peg Najee Harris as maybe NFL’s worst returning starting RB
1. Need better from Najee The data compiled by NFL Next Gen Stats last season said the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Najee Harris was one of the worst starting running backs in the league. Among the company Harris kept toward the bottom of those lists, Harris is the only one to hold...
Steelers DL Larry Ogunjobi, 49ers TE George Kittle questionable to play in season opener
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi did not fully participate in any practices this week and was officially deemed questionable to play in Sunday’s regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Ogunjobi has been listed on the league-mandated injury report as dealing with a foot ailment that has hindered him...
Joey Porter Jr, rest of Steelers’ renowned rookie class ready to make NFL debuts
It was just two years ago the Pittsburgh Steelers started five rookies during their season opener, the most they’d deployed for a season’s first game in three decades. This year, depending on the packages the offense and defense open up with, there might not be any rookies in the starting...
TV commercial star T.J. Watt preps for Steelers opener vs. successor as defensive player of year
For those who still watch old-fashioned (non-streaming) television that features ads, it’s been difficult to get through any commercial breaks during this season-opening week of the NFL season without seeing T.J. Watt. Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star defender, stars in two humorous commercials this week — one for an at-home...
Steelers prepare for multi-faceted threat posed by 49ers star Christian McCaffrey
Tasked over the past week-plus with formulating a plan to limit San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey, savvy veteran NFL defensive coordinator Teryl Austin devised a unique strategy. “We’re going to try to play with 12 guys,” Austin said, laughing. Presumably, Austin won’t want to actually subject the...
Tim Benz: We know how good the 49ers’ rush attack is. But how does it work and how do the Steelers stop it?
In advance of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, we’ve been hearing for weeks about the challenge of facing the Niners’ vaunted rushing attack. Last year, it ranked seventh in the NFL with 2,360 yards and can also use a short passing game...
Mark Madden: Time for Steelers’ Mike Tomlin to put his words into practice, be held accountable
This is a pretty good Pittsburgh Steelers team. Improved from last year. It has a first-round draft pick at quarterback who looks ready to break through. It has a myriad of offensive weapons: no proven superstar, but a receiver capable of big plays and a first-round running back who also...
First Call: Patrick Peterson says 49ers offense has ‘tell signs,’ promises pick; did Gerrit Cole once groove a pitch as a Pirate?
Friday’s “First Call” has some very interesting quotes from a Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back about the San Francisco 49ers offense. We also have injury news from San Francisco in advance of the team’s season opener in Pittsburgh on Sunday, a status update on a former Pitt Panther standout, and another...
Friday Football Footnotes: Tim Benz’s season predictions
If you work in the Pittsburgh sports media you are obligated — by law — to make a season prediction for the Steelers before their first game of the regular season. Seriously. If you don’t, you could get arrested. I’m pretty sure I signed some piece of paper requiring me...
Steelers’ Kenny Pickett, 49ers’ Brock Purdy a matchup of 1st QB vs. last player taken in ‘22 draft
Each started four years at quarterback for a Power Five college, breaking myriad school records along the way while lifting their programs to heights not seen in decades. Each, too, was eligible for the 2022 draft. Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy also had success as rookie NFL quarterbacks, and they...


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