Tag: first

Steelers are now first place in the AFC North following Ravens’ loss

The Browns pulled off an unbelievable win by beating the 5-2 Ravens, 29-24. The Steelers are now 1st in the AFC North following the upset.

Jaws have dropped in Pittsburgh. The Cleveland Browns have done the unthinkable, pulling off an upset victory against the Baltimore Ravens. While Steelers fans wish both rivals could have lost on Sunday, Pittsburgh now holds a half-game lead over the Ravens in the divisional race.

The Cleveland Browns entered the contest with an abysmal 1-6 record and were tasked with the impossible—stopping the 5-2 Ravens and their dynamic offense in Week 8. Browns’ starting QB Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending torn Achilles, leaving backup QB Jameis Winston to take over the signal-calling duties. 

Winston stepped up in a big way for his team, and in some ways for the Black and Gold faithful, as he threw a game-deciding TD pass with 59 seconds remaining to seal the win against the Ravens. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are poised to improve their record to 6-2 against the New York Giants, furthering their lead in the AFC North divisional race, on Monday Night Football, October 28th at 8:15 PM EST.

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Steelers vs. Cowboys, Week 5: First ever Sunday Night Football meeting

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys rivalry goes head-to-head once more in their first ever Sunday Night Football meeting in Week 5.

Having a plethora of storied rivalries throughout hundreds of games played, the Steelers have rivals spanning from their American Football Conference to the other side of the coin, the National Football Conference.  There perhaps is no bigger AFC versus NFC rivalry than that of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Dallas Cowboys.

This rivalry has played out for fans around the world 33 times, with the Cowboys currently leading in victories, 17-16.   One incredible record is three of these matchups have been Super Bowls, and no other teams have met more than twice in NFL history.

History will be surprisingly made again this Sunday, as Dallas travels to Pittsburgh for the first Sunday Night Football matchup in Steelers vs. Cowboys history.  Steelers fans will not want to miss this historic matchup, played out for the entire national audience to witness, with Pittsburgh having a chance to tie the matchup 17-17.

With plenty of intrigue, amazing storylines, and impressive matchups, witness the six-time Super Bowl Champs, the Steelers, taking on the five-time Super Bowl champions, the Cowboys, on October 6th at 8:20 PM EST.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid encouraged by Rashee Rice’s week one performance

Andy Reid liked what he saw from rookie receiver Rashee Rice in the #Chiefs’ loss to the #Lions.

One slightly bright spot in the Chiefs’ loss to the Lions last week was Rashee Rice’s ability to make an impact on the game.

Although the stat line may seem pedestrian (three catches for 29 yards and one touchdown), it was a solid building block for a receiving room that is begging for consistent production.

Andy Reid highlighted Rice’s ability to find space and feel for open areas on the field, which was demonstrated by his one-yard touchdown reception.

“He [Rashee Rice] did a nice job. Both him and Blake [Bell] did nice jobs on theirs [touchdown receptions], kind of feeling the area,” Reid said. “And that’s one of Rashee’s strengths, and we could use them a little bit more in those types – different situations where space is important. We’re trying to bring these guys along as we go, and I thought he sure did a nice job right there.”

With Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore unable to take over as the WR1 up to this point, Rice could see himself as the top target behind Travis Kelce once the 33-year-old tight end returns from injury.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce earns first career AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award

Travis Kelce earned his first career AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award, also becoming the first #Chiefs tight end to ever earn the honor.

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is earning some recognition for his electrifying performance in Week 16 on “Thursday Night Football.” In doing so, he also managed to make franchise history.

Kelce has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 16. It’s the first time in his career that he has earned this award, which is hard to believe given he’s going on his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl selection and his sixth consecutive 1000-yard receiving season. It’s also hard to believe that this is the first time any Chiefs tight end has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

The position group has seldom been recognized in the NFL’s weekly honors. This was actually the first time that a tight end has won the award for the AFC since Rob Gronkowski did so in Week 15 of the 2017 NFL season. Kelce’s performance was certainly deserving of this recognition, though.

Facing the Los Angeles Chargers in a pivotal AFC West matchup, Kelce recorded a whopping 10 receptions for a career-high 191 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It marked a league-high in receiving yards by a tight end in a single game this season. His overtime score helped the Chiefs to a 34-28 victory over the Chargers, catapulting his team to a two-game lead over the division.

This performance was also Kelce’s third game of his career with at least 150 yards and a touchdown reception. That’s good for the second-most such games all-time by a tight end in NFL history.

It also wouldn’t be right if we didn’t mention Kelce’s alma mater, whom he’s been vigorously rooting for ahead of the college football playoffs. Kelce is the first former Cincinnati Bearcat to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week since the 1990 season. Maybe it’s a sign that they’ll be able to best Alabama in the Cotton Bowl?

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Daniel Jeremiah gives the Detroit Lions an elite WR in his first 2021 mock draft

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah gave the Detroit Lions some elite wide receiver help in his first 2021 mock draft of the season.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah posted his first 2021 mock draft of the season, and with the seventh overall pick, he paired the Detroit Lions with Heisman trophy winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

“If the Lions are going to keep Matthew Stafford, they would have a prime opportunity to sell this selection to a QB-needy team,” Jeremiah wrote. “If they stick and pick, Smith will be an immediate-impact player on the outside.”

Smith to Detroit has been a widely popular choice since last year’s draft ended. And as we at Lions Wire started tracking mock drafts this season, not a lot has changed, but there have been a few other candidates that have emerged.

Smith’s teammate at Alabama Jaylen Waddle, found his way to the Lions a few mocks drafts last week, but the next major competition has been Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

In Jeremiah’s scenario, all three were on the board and he went with his highest-rated player in Smith — which matches our early rankings as well.

It’s worth acknowledging Jeremiah’s qualifier with this pick: “If the Lions are going to keep Matthew Stafford”, this pick makes a lot of sense. It’s also worth noting that if they elected to move on from Stafford, the top quarterback option available in this scenario was Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who went to the Carolina Panthers with the next pick.

Regardless of whether you want Stafford and Smith combo or a fresh start with Fields, it’s fair to say the Lions are going to have several quality options if they stay put at seven.

Lions GM Brad Holmes discusses his role in building and maintaining a winning organization

Brad Holmes talks about succession plans and turning the Detroit Lions into a winner in his first interview as general manager.

In his first interview as Detroit Lions general manager, Brad Holmes talks with team senior writer Tim Twentyman about how he sees his new role within the organization, his experience interviewing for the GM position, analytics in scouting, succession plans, and turning the Lions into a winner.

With his football background and 18 years of experience with the Rams, Holmes is bringing a wealth of information to Detroit. And with the Lions’ front office reorganization allowing him to focus more on scouting, Holmes believes he is in a good spot to deliver a “No. 1 football product to the City of Detroit”.

“I know the general manager role and that’s the name of the position, but I truly see it as a service role,” Holmes said. “My No. 1 job is to serve the City of Detroit a No. 1 football product and hopefully uplift the community in that regard.”

Holmes was very complimentary of how the Lions handled the interview process, saying that once the session was over he immediately told his wife that principal owner Shelia Ford Hamp was someone “who you want to win for”.

“It was just a first-class process every step of the way with the dialogue, all the way up to (last) Wednesday, when I was awarded the job. It’s been first class and it just felt right. I’m just so excited and I can’t wait to get started.”

When talk turned to scouting, Holmes discussed the advantages of adapting to an ever-changing environment.

“I’m under the belief that just because scouting has been done one way, it doesn’t have to be done the same way all the time. Let’s utilize that technology. That’s something we will definitely utilize here with the Lions.”

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But it’s not just about turning the Lions around for Holmes, it’s about being successful and then maintaining that success.

“Everything is about succession plans. That’s just how I’m permanently wired. That’s how I view personnel. That’s how I view football. That’s how I view my own personal life.

“I just think making sure you’re aware of all possible angles and all possible outcomes that could happen, I think is very, very critical. I’ll admit I’m a nerd about predictive science and forecasting and I am because I think that’s our job. Our job is to predict the future and I’m also a little bit of a nerd about the psychology of the process.”

Holmes will likely expand more on these thoughts in his introductory press conference — which is on the schedule, and Lions Wire will be there to cover it.

WATCH: Jalen Hurts takes over, throws first NFL TD

Former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken over QB duties for the Eagles as they take on the Green Bay Packers. He throws his first NFL tou..

Former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles to sit behind incumbent starter Carson Wentz and be utilized in some offensive play packages.

After Wentz has been struggling throughout the season, many fans and players have called for him to be benched in place of Hurts.

Well, in the second half of the Eagles’ contest against the Green Bay Packers, Hurts got the nod.

This is not the first time Hurts has seen action, but it’s the first time he’s been given the reigns as the consistent quarterback for multiple drives.

His first touchdown pass was a memorable one; a fourth-and-18, 32-yard pass into the end zone. It fell right into the arms of Greg Ward.

WATCH: Jalen Hurts takes over, throws first NFL TD

Former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts has taken over QB duties for the Eagles as they take on the Green Bay Packers. He throws his first NFL tou..

Former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles to sit behind incumbent starter Carson Wentz and be utilized in some offensive play packages.

After Wentz has been struggling throughout the season, many fans and players have called for him to be benched in place of Hurts.

Well, in the second half of the Eagles’ contest against the Green Bay Packers, Hurts got the nod.

This is not the first time Hurts has seen action, but it’s the first time he’s been given the reigns as the consistent quarterback for multiple drives.

His first touchdown pass was a memorable one; a fourth-and-18, 32-yard pass into the end zone. It fell right into the arms of Greg Ward.