Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the inactive players for the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cleveland Browns Week 11 matchup.
It’s the battle of the 6-3s as the Pittsburgh Steelers go into Cleveland to take on Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Browns.
Pittsburgh will be without the services of Minkah Fitzpatrick for the third consecutive week.
The Steelers run game was on point but Kenny Pickett continues to struggle.
On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers went back to basics and fought past the Green Bay Packers with a huge rushing performance and some timely turnovers. If you are an old-school Steelers fan, this is the kind of football you crave. Here are our big takeaways from the win.
J.J. Watt offered an emotional congratulations to his brother after passing him on the sack list.
On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt passed his brother with 88 career sacks in the first 100 games and did it in just 96 games as Pittsburgh got a narrow win over the Green Bay Packers. The mark put the Watt brothers at No.2 and No. 3 all-time with only the immortal Reggie White ahead of them.
The elder Watt took to X to offer an emotional post about his brother’s achievement and how much it means to two guys from Wisconsin to be mentioned in the same breath as White.
We grew up in Wisconsin, idolizing Reggie White.
If you told us that someday a stat like this would exist, we wouldn’t believe you.
Pretty damn cool.
🙏🏼 https://t.co/fFCDMHq0zX
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 12, 2023
T.J. still has four more games to extend his lead over his big brother and creep close to White. It’s not realistic for Watt to catch White but this level of production just cements Watt’s status as one of the best pass rushers in the league. Watt has 10.5 sacks on the season.
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Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were great on Sunday while Kenny Pickett struggled in the win over the Packers.
It took until the final play to secure victory but the Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 6-3 on Sunday after beating the Green Bay Packers 23-19. The day was carried by the Steelers rushing offense getting on track and timely takeaways on defense. Here are our studs and duds.
Steelers LB Kwon Alexander questionable to return.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were already short-handed at inside linebacker going into Sunday’s game with the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh lost starting inside linebacker Cole Holcomb for the season after suffering a knee injury. Kwon Alexander was in the starting lineup on Sunday in his place.
But on the Packers opening drive, Alexander suffered an injury and shortly after coming off the field went to the blue tent for evaluation and then straight to the locker room. Not a good sign. Those in attendance felt like it might have been his left ankle or leg.
With Alexander now out, second-year linebacker Mark Robinson will be in the starting lineup next to Elandon Roberts. Robinson is a converted running back who plays with a lot of speed and a motor that won’t quit.
The Packers scored one play after Alexander’s injury to tie the game at seven with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
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The Steelers are in for a big day this week against Green Bay.
This week the Pittsburgh Steelers begin the second-half stretch of the season and they have outplayed their own problems to this point. We woke up on Sunday feeling unreasonably optimistic about this week’s game and the rest of the season. So with that, let’s offer up some bold predictions for this week.
T.J. Watt has no love for the Green Bay Packers team his family grew up rooting for.
Wisconsin is known for something else besides cheese, Miller beer and cold-ass winters — the Green Bay Packers. And T.J. Watt was born in the middle of it all.
Born and raised in Pewaukee, WI, two hours south of Green Bay, Watt couldn’t help but be surrounded by the Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers-led Packers teams. But he plays it as casual.
“I did, for… I mean, my grandpa was a huge Packer fan,” Watt said. “My parents were huge Packer fans. I was more of just kind of watch from afar. One of my buddies had season tickets, so I’ve been a couple times.”
All of that changed, though, once older brother J.J. Watt burst onto the NFL scene in 2011. Five years younger than J.J., Watt was 17 when his brother entered the league. “Once J.J. got to the NFL, it was pretty much all Texans for the most part.”
Watt brushed off any fandom he once had for the Pack, as whatever time he’d spent following the team is in the past — especially as his Steelers host them at Acrisure Stadium today.
“It’s so far in my career,” he said about whether their Packers opponent holds any special meaning. “I’ve already played in Green Bay — that was a special one. But at this point, it’s just another opponent and another tough one at that.”
Watt had a pretty nice game in said contest of Week 4, 2021, with two sacks of Aaron Rodgers, four tackles, two quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.
Jordan Love best beware.
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The Steelers have to run the football and stop the run against the Packers.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers struggles, they find themselves at 5-3, in second place in the AFC North and continuing to find ways to win football games. This week the Pittsburgh Steelers get their final of three home games in a row when they take on the Green Bay Packers.
Here are our big keys to victory for the Steelers this week.
Oh, Bryant McFadden. We appreciate your optimism, but the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t surpassed 400 yards of total offense since… checks notes… 2020.
Oh, Bryant McFadden. We appreciate your optimism, but the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t surpassed 400 yards of total offense in the regular season since… checks notes… 2020. Yes, it was the crazy COVID year when the Steelers went 11-0 before falling off a cliff to finish the season at 12-4.
In the predictions segment of the Nov. 5 episode of All Things Covered, the ex-Steelers cornerback said Pittsburgh would win 21-13 while surpassing 400 yards in total offense.
It’s been over three years since those kinds of offensive numbers were produced — Matt Canada was just a lowly quarterbacks coach.
In Week 2 of 2020, the Steelers hung 410 yards on the Denver Broncos via two great performances in the air and on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 311 yards (ah, those were the days) to Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, with a few others chipping in. On the ground, James Conner had 106 yards and a score.
The closest Pittsburgh’s come to that figure since was, interestingly, versus Denver. This time, it was Week 5, 2021. Roethlisberger had a 253-yard day, 130 of them and a touchdown to Claypool. He threw his second to Johnson who added 72 yards. Again, the ground game came up huge with Najee Harris grinding out 122 yards and a touchdown.
Can they do it now versus a beat-up Packers defense? Maybe. And for two reasons: Two key defenders, linebacker Quay Walker and cornerback Jaire Alexander are doubtful this week.
Walker, Green Bay’s primary run-stuffer, leads the team with 66 tackles. The Steelers appeared to have something promising going with Harris and Jaylen Warren against the Tennessee Titans.
With Alexander likely out, the Packers will have a tough time slowing down Johnson and George Pickens. This could be just the boost that Pickens needs to put up some numbers.
Still, 400 yards is asking a lot from a Pittsburgh Steelers team that’s still searching for its identity.
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The Steelers defense has a two-headed challenge on their hands tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ run-strapped defense has a two-headed challenge on their hands: Containing the run stylings of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.
Not unlike themselves, the Green Bay Packers‘ two backs can gash you in different ways. Just ask the Los Angeles Rams, who the Pack ran for 184 yards on in Week 9.
According to NFL.com stats, Pittsburgh’s run defense ranks 23rd. The unit has allowed 133 yards per game through eight games and five touchdowns.
“It’s going to be a challenge going against them,” Alex Highsmith told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “I think the first thing is stopping the run. They have a good two-headed monster in A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones, we have to stop them, get after them and get after Jordan Love in the passing game.”
“It starts there, stopping the run, not letting them get in rhythm, not letting them get those manageable third downs, keeping them in third and long so we can pin our ears back and get after them.”
They’ll have to do so without the services of Cole Holcomb, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. He was a key player in getting after runners with 24 tackles, 16 of which were stops.
“It’s tough,” said Highsmith. “I hate it for him. He loves this game. I know we have capable guys that are going to come in and play. It’s an opportunity for guys like Mark Robinson and others to step up and play.”
Green Bay’s 3-5 record is deceiving, having dropped some very close matchups. Three of their five losses were decided by five points or less.
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