First Call: Steelers’ next foe brings WR challenge; AFC North goes 3-0 with boost from WPIAL alumni; Titans QB concern
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Monday’s “First Call” examines a challenge facing the Pittsburgh Steelers for their first game back from the bye. We take a look at the AFC North after some WPIAL alumni helped the teams go 3-0 this weekend. The idea of a London Super Bowl is still on the table. An upcoming Steelers opponent may have a quarterback question.
And we check on the Robert Morris hockey teams.
Hard to handle
For a team that has struggled to contain the opposing club’s top receiver, the Steelers are certainly going to face a tough task this week coming off of their bye.
Mike Tomlin’s team has to visit the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. They’ve got Cooper Kupp at wide receiver. After missing the first four games of the season because of injury, Kupp has come back strong. He put up 118 yards on eight catches against the Philadelphia Eagles in his return game two weeks ago. That was a 23-14 loss.
On Sunday, he caught seven passes for 148 yards and a touchdown as the Rams (3-3) topped the Arizona Cardinals (1-5) by a final score of 26-9.
Cooper Kupp's down there somewhere
????: #AZvsLAR on FOX
????: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLOt8O pic.twitter.com/VTdP8cPGFB— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
L.A. also got a big rushing day out of Kyren Williams who had 158 yards on the ground, plus a touchdown. The Rams are an early 3.5-point favorite over the Steelers on Sunday according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Something to watch
The Steelers play the Tennessee Titans on a Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 2.
Tennessee QB Ryan Tannehill is injured with an ankle problem. He left his team’s 24-16 loss in England on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens. Tannehill was seen on crutches and will have an MRI according to ESPN.
Tannehill missed the final three games of 2022 with an injury to his right ankle. That’s the same ankle he hurt Sunday. Thus far in 2023, Tannehill has a 71.9 passer rating after going 90 of 142 for 1,052 yards and two touchdowns versus five interceptions. He has been sacked 19 times in six games.
Malik Willis is the organization’s backup QB. He was considered by many to be the second choice for the Steelers at quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft after Kenny Pickett. Willis was 4 of 5 for 75 yards when he replaced Tannehill against the Ravens.
This year’s second-round draft choice, Will Levis would then be the backup. Levis carried a first-round grade through much of the pre-draft run-up this spring. But he fell to Day 2, and the Titans took him with the 34th overall selection.
The Titans have a bye week next week. Then they face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 prior to the Week 9 Thursday game in Pittsburgh.
More sports
• Madden Monday: Of the 4 games after the bye, Steelers ‘might lose every game, but they won’t win every game’
• Analysis: Did Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi wait too long to change quarterbacks?
• Pitt notebook: Is Christian Veilleux the answer to the Panthers’ quarterback quandary?
News from the North
While the Steelers were idle Sunday, the rest of the AFC North fared well. The Ravens, Bengals and Browns all won.
We already told you about Baltimore’s 24-16 win in London, thanks to six Justin Tucker field goals. New Castle alum Geno Stone had an interception for the Ravens as well.
.@GenoStone22 with a BIG-TIME interception ????
????: #BALvsTEN on NFL Network
????: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/B4mQvLNVjg pic.twitter.com/PzotOTZfBG— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2023
Meanwhile, the Browns stunned previously unbeaten San Francisco in Cleveland 19-17. That was without Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Plus, the Bengals won a second straight game with a 17-13 over the Seattle Seahawks in Cincinnati. Quarterback Joe Burrow found Pitt product and former Clairton Bear Tyler Boyd for a score.
Mr. Levels himself ????#SEAvsCIN | ???? CBS pic.twitter.com/d49FnEOHwt
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023
So that means the Ravens are in first place in the division at 4-2. The Steelers and Browns are tied for second at 3-2 (with the Steelers holding a head-to-head tiebreaker). The Bengals are a half-game back at 3-3 in fourth place.
How would that work?
How much is the NFL pushing the agenda of expanding its footprint in Europe? Don’t rule out the idea of a London Super Bowl.
That’s the word from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Speaking at a recent fan forum in England, Goodell wouldn’t discount London from one day hosting the NFL’s title game. This is according to an ESPN report.
“It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before,” Goodell said at the event in London last week.
Of course, it’s not impossible. There are obvious logistical hurdles, though. The cost and extent of travel for business partners, media and league officials would be extensive. But the biggest problem would be the kickoff time.
In February, England is five hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in America. So if the game is to start at its usual 630 kickoff, that’d be 11:30 p.m. in London.
If the game were to kick at, say, 8:30 p.m. in London, that’d be 3:30 p.m. in New York and noon in Los Angeles. And I’m not sure how the networks would feel about having the Super Bowl outside of a primetime window.
Rougher weekend
During last weekend’s celebration of their joint return on Neville Island, the Robert Morris men’s and women’s hockey team managed to get a combined six of a possible eight points. The women took two from St. Anselm. The men split a series with Bowling Green.
This weekend was more difficult. The women (3-3) were swept at Princeton (2-0) Friday and Saturday by scores of 6-2 and 4-0. Waysn Rice and Shailynn Snow got the two goals for RMU.
Big slap shot by Captain Rice gets us on the board‼️ #BobbyMo | ???????????? | #RMUnite #CHA pic.twitter.com/QaDnNZUAj0
— RMU Women's Hockey (@RMUWHockey) October 13, 2023
As for the RMU men (1-1-1), they tied a stand-alone game up at Mercyhurst on Saturday 3-3. Then Mercyhurst got the extra point, winning the shootout 1-0. McKay Hayes, Logan Gaine and Cade Townend were the Colonials’ goal scorers.
Cade Townend extends the lead????
RMU 3 – 1 MU#BobbyMo | ???????????? | #RMUnite #AHA pic.twitter.com/z0ezL3en6w
— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) October 14, 2023
The men host Holy Cross for two games next week. The women host Clarkson.