Steelers Wire picks AFC/NFC conference championship game winners

We have our picks for the NFC title matchups.

Despite the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t in the playoffs, we are all watching this week’s conference championships with a keen eye. In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens square off against the Kansas City Chiefs and on the NFC side the Detroit Lions are going against the San Francisco 49ers. Here are our picks for this week’s conference championship game.

AFC

Chiefs

It is impossible for me to bring myself to actively root for the Ravens, even though they were my Super Bowl pick before the start of the season. This will be a showdown between the two best quarterbacks in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson but I feel like it will come down to the defenses in this one. Baltimore always has a good defense but the Chiefs are doing something special on that side of the football and I think they make a play late to pull off the win. – Curt Popejoy, Managing Editor

Ravens

Lamar Jackson is playing MVP football, and the Ravens have the fiercest defense of the final four, nearly flawless. After a rocky 1-3 stretch in the middle of their second half of the season, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs came alive to finish the season. Kansas City routed the Miami Dolphins and squeaked out a win over the Buffalo Bills, but I think Baltimore’s defense will prove too much for the Chiefs to get enough going offensively to pull off a win. – Allison Koehler, Contributor

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NFC

Lions

The San Francisco 49ers will be tough to beat, but I’m going with the underdog here. The Niners are coming into this matchup a little cocky, and having been in this position before, they may have the attitude that they’ve got it won even before kick-off. The Lions will have to play mistake-free, balanced football, but if any team can do it, it’s Dan Campbell’s squad. – Allison Koehler, Contributor

Lions

You can’t help but think the Lions are the team of destiny this season. This group is physical, and confident and they really are an underrated team in terms of talent. Like the AFC showdown, this one will come down to the defense but Detroit will channel the energy of head coach Dan Campbell and earn that trip to the Super Bowl. – Curt Popejoy, Managing Editor

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CNN interview reveals Kevin O’Connell leads through love and empathy

In an interview with CNN, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell gave some insights into his journey through the NFL and his mentality

In a recent interview with CNN anchor and Minnesota native Poppy Harlow, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell reflected upon his journey through the NFL ranks and towards becoming a head coach in the league. One of the biggest takeaways from the interview was his mentality on leadership, stating that love and empathy are at the forefront for him.

“It’s really what I view as the standard” is how O’Connell put it when asked by Harlow if it’s fair to say his goal is to lead the team with love and empathy, stating that he believes the players can sense they’re getting the “real, authentic” him and respect him for it.

Perhaps the greatest example of O’Connell putting his words into action came earlier this season through the acquisition of former Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs. Dobbs was acquired in a mid-season trade and was almost immediately thrust into action for the team.

Prior to Dobbs seeing his first action with the team, O’Connell let the quarterback know “No matter what happens these next two-and-a-half hours, I’m gonna be with ya, every step of the way.” That confidence in his quarterback let Dobbs come in and lead the Vikings to two straight victories under incredible circumstances.

The season didn’t end how Dobbs, O’Connell, or Vikings fans would have wanted, but during a season where the team faced extreme adversity, it was O’Connell’s principles of empathy and leadership through vulnerability that kept the team together and in the playoff hunt until the very end.

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Vikings legend doubts Kirk Cousins will return in 2024

A Vikings legend doesn’t believe that Cousins will return to the team in 2024

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end and 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist Jared Allen doesn’t think quarterback Kirk Cousins will be back with the team in 2024. On an appearance on Up and Adams with Kay Adams, Allen was asked for his thoughts on what the Vikings do with Cousins next year after his Achilles injury.

Allen questioned whether or not you can commit that much money to him, and whether Cousins will be able to make a full recovery, stating it’s “a young man’s game” among other comments you can hear below.

Cousins, 35, is coming off a ruptured Achilles suffered in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers. Much has been made about Cousins and his future in Minnesota, as he is scheduled to be a free agent after the season.

In his absence, the Vikings have had to turn to Josh Dobbs, who has struggled recently and may be on the verge of losing his starting job to Jaren Hall, who originally took over for Cousins before suffering a concussion early in Week 9 versus the Falcons.

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6 things Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be thankful for this Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving holiday, we celebrate and give thanks for everything we have — including our struggling Steelers.

Happy Thanksgiving, Steelers Nation! On this holiday, we celebrate and give thanks for everything we have — including our struggling Steelers.

Here are six things we should be thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Kirk Cousins named one of 2023’s most underrated players

Kirk Cousins is starting to get more recognition among national media

Ross Tucker of the 33rd Team labeled Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk COusins as one of the top ten most underrated players heading into the 2023 season.

Cousins has never been the flashiest of quarterbacks. Even his persona on Netflix’s “Quarterback” series showcased a family man that does his job to the best of his ability, comes home and repeats the cycle. With that lack of flash comes a sense of boredom with the narrative around Cousins.

“I know, I know. Kirk Cousins is not Patrick Mahomes but guess what, who is?

In a society where some think you are either elite or you stink, Cousins has been incredibly consistent. During the past eight years since he became the starter in Washington, Cousins hasn’t missed a single game with an injury and has provided top-15 quarterback play.

Do you know how many franchises would sign up right now to get top-10 or top-15 quarterback play every week for the next eight years?”

That consistency will be Cousins’ calling card as his contract expires at the end of the 2023 season.

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1 bold prediction for each Vikings draft pick

Not every draft pick will find immediate playing time, but if they do, @TheKevinFielder offers one hot take on their performance as a rookie.

Although the Minnesota Vikings did not have a lot of draft picks, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was active during the three-day event.

The Vikings wasted no time finding a partner-in-crime for Justin Jefferson, selecting USC wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round.

Then, the Vikings began upgrading their secondary with the selections of Addison’s college teammate Mekhi Blackmon and LSU safety Jay Ward.

In total, the Vikings selected six rookies over the three days. While all of those rookies won’t get immediate playing time, there is at least a pathway for each to get onto the field.

Examining each rookie’s immediate impacts will be challenging, but it’s worth examining their ceilings as rookies through bold predictions and hot takes.

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Private memorial set for former Vikings head coach Bud Grant

The family of the late Bud Grant has announced that they will be holding a private memorial service for the former Minnesota #Vikings coach

The family of the late Bud Grant has announced that they will be holding a private memorial service for the former Minnesota Vikings coach, who passed away on March 11th at the age of 95. The family has also revealed that there will be a public celebration of Grant’s life at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, although a date for the event has not yet been set.

Grant is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, having led the Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances and 11 division championships during his tenure from 1967-1983. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 1994.

In lieu of flowers, the Grant family has requested that memorials be made to either the Minnesota Vikings Foundation or the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Foundation. Both organizations align with Grant’s passion for supporting veterans and their families.

Kirk Cousins: “If I had taken a sack instead, the optics probably look better”

On the latest episode of Bussin With The Boys, Kirk Cousins opens up about multiple topics, including grills

One thing that you don’t often get with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is him being open and speaking with cander. Oftentimes, he will speak like a politician and come off as somewhat robotic.

The latest interview Cousins did was with Barstool Sports’ Bussin With The Boys podcast and he was incredibly open and even self depricating. The biggest takeaway from that interview was talking about the fateful fourth and eight from the wild card game against the New York Giants.

“If I had taken a sack, the optics probably look better (than checking down).”

He’s probably right here. Checking down has been an issue for Cousins and something that he has been criticized for during his entire Vikings tenure. What was significant coming from that discussion is the one throw that Cousins would have wanted back. It wasn’t the fourth-down throw, but the one right before.

On that third and eight play, Cousins had K.J. Osborn open but threw it a bit behind which allowed the cornerback to attack the football.

Cousins goes in-depth with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan on other topics. You can check out the full interview here, including Cousins talking about nearly getting a grill.

Vikings’ 2022 season in review: assessing the play of Kirk Cousins

Though Cousins’ job is secure heading into the 2023, the #Vikings shouldn’t discount the idea of an investment at the quarterback position

The Minnesota Vikings are something of an enigma heading into the 2023 season, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After holding one of the NFL’s best records for the better part of the 2022 season, they floundered in the playoffs, losing to the upstart New York Giants due in no small part to the play of Kirk Cousins, who went cold in the fourth quarter.

Cousins has proven to be a rock-solid regular season signal caller in Minneapolis but is known to be a bit inconsistent when the lights shine the brightest. In a league where playoff wins and Super Bowl championships, mean more than anything else, the Vikings’ quarterback hasn’t yet shown that he can get the job done in January or February.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Minnesota will have some crucial decisions to make about their future at the position, despite the fact that Cousins is functionally un-cuttable on his fully guaranteed contract.

Here is a look at the state of the Vikings’ quarterback position ahead of free agency.

ESPN says the Vikings need a postseason breakthrough

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler views the Vikings higher than other national analysts

The Minnesota Vikings’ season ended in the NFC wild-card round after a loss to the New York Giants. While the loss hurt and left many around the TCO Performance Center stunned, there were still a lot of positives to take away from the 2022 season. Looking ahead to the 2023 season though, there is still a lot to be done if the Vikings expect to find themselves back in the postseason.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released his rankings of NFL teams, from contenders to rebuilds. Fowler explains how the Vikings wound up in the “Need a Postseason Breakthrough” category,

Improving the secondary is a key task for Minnesota, which must replace cornerback Patrick Peterson and plan for life without 34-year-old safety Harrison Smith. Getting back injured rookies — safety Lewis Cine and corner Andrew Booth Jr. — will be crucial. The Vikings allowed 66.1% of passes to be completed, 24th in the NFL.

New defensive coordinator Brian Flores has plenty of firepower up front with Za’Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter and Dalvin Tomlinson. And the offense has its core in place but must shake out the future of running back Dalvin Cook, who has a $14.1 million cap hit vs. $6.2 million in dead money. He just rushed for more than 1,000 yards for a fourth straight season.”

Fowler lays out what many fans already knew heading into the 2023 off-season. The defense needs to improve, and the Vikings need to somehow find a way to create cap space. There is definitely hope for the Vikings next season, as their offense was one of the best in the NFL. If the new defensive coordinator can get the defense to play average football, this team has a chance to make a little noise in the playoffs next season.

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