Tag: American football

Justin Fields injury gives Steelers upper hand in Bears trade

Justin Fields’ absence cements a favorable draft pick outcome for the Steelers, turning a conditional trade into a clear win.

It is never a good feeling for fans when their favorite team’s players suffer an injury of any kind. This is especially true for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup QB Justin Fields, whose absence not only heavily weakens the depth behind QB Russell Wilson but also results in the loss of the ever-dynamic ‘Fields rushing packages.’

However, Fields missing his team’s Week 16 contest against the Baltimore Ravens complicates the Steelers-Bears trade in favor of the Black and Gold.

One condition of the trade that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers send a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears is that Fields would need to play over 51 percent of snaps for the pick to become a fourth-round draft selection. As fans can guess, his Week 16 absence makes this completely impossible now.

Early in the season, with Fields starting six games straight to open the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 campaign, it was expected the Bears would receive a fourth-round draft pick.

Wilson’s emergence not only changed the offense for the better, but it now seems to have assisted in what can only be described as a slam-dunk trade by Steelers GM Omar Khan.

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Is DeShon Elliot the real MVP of Steelers defense?

DeShon Elliot’s absence highlights his immense impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense during their tough late-season stretch.

Much to the dismay of Steelers fans, the team’s Week 15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles brought their Super Bowl aspirations crashing back down to Earth. Coupled with an extremely difficult final three weeks to close out the 2024 season, the negativity in the air is palpable.

However, analyzing what went wrong during these trying times has brought about a newfound appreciation for perhaps the best player on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense in 2024: SS DeShon Elliot.

PFF, while known for their less-than-remarkable grades for the Black and Gold, recognizes Elliot as the second-best run-stopping safety in the 2024 season.

Elliot missed the team’s Week 15 contest and is scheduled to miss the Week 16 contest against the Baltimore Ravens as well. His ability to stop the run, drop back into coverage, rush the passer, consistently make great tackles, and lead the secondary were all aspects sorely missed in the team’s loss to the Eagles. Without Elliot, the defense failed to stop the Philadelphia Eagles offense from taking over the second half in Week 15.

Could the absence of Elliot in Week 16 lead to consecutive losses for the Black and Gold, further solidifying his position as the MVP of the Steelers defense?

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Steelers fans call for Diontae Johnson reunion following Ravens exit

Steelers fans are calling for the team to reunite with Diontae Johnson after his surprising release by the Baltimore Ravens.

The fears and doubts surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ biggest problem, the wide receiver room, may soon be solved! Fans of the Black and Gold have finally gotten their wish: former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson has been waived by the Baltimore Ravens.

Drama and dropped balls aside, Johnson is one of the most accomplished route runners in the NFL. With that in mind, a reunion with the Pittsburgh Steelers could soon be on the horizon. The Ravens certainly believed so, as it appeared the team was content to allow Johnson to remain on the roster for one extra week to potentially prevent the Steel City from acquiring his talents in time for their Week 16 AFC North showdown.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, with a healthy George Pickens, would be near unstoppable with Johnson back as the team’s WR2. After a chaotic and excitement-filled day for Steelers fans, here are some of the best reactions to Diontae Johnson’s exit from the Baltimore Ravens.

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George Pickens’ injury proves Steelers made Roman Wilson-sized mistake

George Pickens’ absence in Week 16 argues that the Steelers must reconsider giving rookie Roman Wilson a chance in the WR room.

The worries of Steelers fans have been confirmed: George Pickens has been ruled OUT for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 16 AFC North showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.

However, his absence from last week’s and this week’s games provides ammunition to the season-long argument regarding the Steelers’ wide receiver room: HC Mike Tomlin and OC Arthur Smith need to give rookie WR Roman Wilson a chance.

It was recently argued by Steelers insider Gerry Dulac that Wilson’s inability to stay healthy during training camp and practices early on in 2024 forced the team to move on from his contributions this year. However, Pickens’ absence should force the team to reconsider.

In the past two games Pickens has missed, QB Russell Wilson struggled to find production out of his receivers and threw for a combined 286 yards in Weeks 14 and 15.

Regardless of Tomlin claiming to have “moved on,” or any insiders believing the rookie receiver will get his chance in 2025, one thing remains certain—the Wilson-to-Wilson connection could be the much-needed medicine for this dying Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

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Cam Heyward tears into controversial Week 15 officiating vs Eagles

Cam Heyward calls out poor officiating in the Week 15 Steelers-Eagles game that saw several questionable penalty decisions made.

As viewers of the Week 15 contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles are well aware, the officiating was—to say the least—terrible.

Veteran Steelers DT Cam Heyward took exception with two poor calls in particular, one that saw his little brother TE/FB Connor Heyward being punched, and the other was TE Darnell Washington being slugged by Eagles CB Darius Slay.

On the most recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, the Steelers defensive tackle discussed both of the atrocious officiating decisions: “The reasoning behind those two plays just felt idiotic.”

Heyward would continue to rip into the officials’ decisions and vision on these penalties, arguing that it “did not feel like they even looked at the plays.”

Heyward concluded his analysis and criticism of the officials from Week 15’s contest, describing that, at the very least, the penalties should have offset between Washington and Slay.

Heyward will need to recompose himself, as the team has little time to focus on the poor officiating from Week 15. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the potential to take the AFC North title by defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, and to do so, every bit of energy and effort will need to be spent on stopping the Lamar Jackson-led offense.

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Former Steelers QB frustrated by botched plays in Week 15 loss

Ben Roethlisberger voices his frustrations over the Steelers’ Week 15 loss to the Eagles, pointing to key moments that sealed their fate.

While watching the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 15 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, one legendary Steelers quarterback shared the disappointment felt by much of the Black and Gold faithful.

Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, while discussing Pittsburgh’s loss in Week 15 with co-host Spencer Te’o on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, revealed the specific plays he deemed game “killers.”

Big Ben expressed frustrations with areas of the Steelers’ offense that fans have collectively agreed need improvement: finding a reliable WR2 and avoiding slow starts in the first half.

Roethlisberger highlighted a few plays in particular that he believed were “killers” for any hope of a late-game comeback against the Eagles in Week 15: “Najee fumbling the toss sweep—that was a killer.” He then pointed to what he argued was an even greater misstep: “I think one of the killers was Coach T punting on like the 47ish [yard line]. They never got the ball back.”

While the Pittsburgh Steelers’ overall performance was rough in Week 15, is Roethlisberger correct in his analysis that Harris and head coach Mike Tomlin’s “killer” plays sealed the Black and Gold’s loss?

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Could Steelers lose Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes to AFC North Rival?

Could Steelers lose out on OBJ to the Ravens, as Lamar Jackson’s MVP-caliber play and Diontae Johnson’s uncertain future spark debate?

The more things change, the more they stay the same for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In regards to which teams may sign the recently released Odell Beckham Jr., the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Los Angeles Rams were considered the odds-on favorites to sign OBJ, according to Bovada.

However, with Rams HC Sean McVay describing the team’s reluctance to pursue Beckham, this kicked the door wide open for Steelers GM Omar Khan to pull off the heist of the century.

Beckham had previously spent time on the Rams and the Ravens, and while Los Angeles is seemingly out of the hunt, Baltimore is showing signs of needing additional talent at the WR position.

Former Steelers WR Diontae Johnson is practically one foot in, one foot out of the Ravens organization, and Beckham may prefer to play in an organization he played for previously.

With Ravens QB Lamar Jackson lighting up defenses with his arm and legs, the two-time MVP award winner may present Beckham an opportunity he simply can’t pass up to close out the 2024 season.

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Najee Harris shocked to learn NFL blamed wrong player for his fumble

Najee Harris defends Russell Wilson after NFL credits him with costly fumble, taking full responsibility for the turnover.

Many would assume RB Najee Harris is a massive fan of NFL statistics—after all—it credited a different player with his costly fumble from Week 15’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Harris isn’t looking to shift the blame, and he certainly isn’t happy that the NFL credited the Pittsburgh Steelers’ signal caller for the turnover.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday—in the build-up to Week 16’s AFC North showdown—Harris was asked his opinion on the NFL crediting QB Russell Wilson with the fumble.

Surprised but smiling, Harris questioned the decision itself: “I wasn’t? That’s crazy.” His attitude quickly took a more serious tone as the running back told reporters, “The stat sheet may say that—but nobody believes that. That was all on me. I don’t know why they put that on Russ.”

While admirable in defense of his teammate and his ability to fault himself for the game-changing turnover, it doesn’t change the narrative—Harris may have lost his team the game in Week 15.

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‘Hard Knocks’ shows what officials said to anger Mike Tomlin vs Eagles

Officials’ unseen exchange with Mike Tomlin highlights one of the worst excuses after a controversial Week 15 Steelers penalty.

Viewers of this week’s new episode of Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, were treated to what led to Steelers HC Mike Tomlin profanely telling officials to get away from him.

Before Tomlin’s choice words to the officials, he questioned why they decided to call such a heinous penalty on both Steelers players: “Y’all didn’t see that guy throwing punches for Philadelphia?”

The official speaking to Tomlin then provided the most embarrassing excuse one could imagine, claiming the Eagles player was “knocking his hands off him.”

Fans who saw up-close footage of the altercation could clearly see that while Steelers TE Darnell Washington blocked CB Darius Slay Jr. for an extended period, the Eagles cornerback was the first to throw punches.

No wonder Tomlin was so bewildered with the officiating crew during Week 16’s contest between the Steelers and Eagles. Not only was Pittsburgh wrongly penalized for the skirmish, but he was also given one of the worst officiating excuses imaginable.

As the Steelers prepare for the Ravens in Week 16, hopefully the team can put these wrongful penalties behind them, with the stakes higher than ever in the upcoming AFC North showdown—a chance at the divisional title.

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Former Steelers QB set to take over starting duties for Titans

Former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is the Tennessee Titans’ starter for Week 16, showcasing his ability to step in at a moment’s need.

It appears the Atlanta Falcons aren’t the only NFL team looking for a change at quarterback in Week 16, as it is being reported that the Tennessee Titans will bench QB Will Levis in favor of former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph.

Rudolph’s five years with the Black and Gold highlighted his growth as a signal caller, from ultimately sitting out his rookie year in 2018, to relieving Ben Roethlisberger following his season-ending elbow injury in 2019, and his return to form by beating out Kenny Pickett for starting QB duties to finish out the 2023 season.  Rudolph would price himself out of Pittsburgh, but signing with the Titans was the correct decision to make, as he is currently slated to earn starting duties for the Titans Week 16 game vs the Indianapolis Colts.

Rudolph has averaged 209 passing yards per game for the Titans in 2024, and has thrown 5 TDS, as well as 5 INTs, through his three starts for Tennessee.

Rudolph’s starting opportunity surprises very few fans of the Black and Gold, as he has proven time and time again to step up to the challenge when his name is called upon.

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