Steelers vs Browns: Showdown with Cleveland the definition of must-win game

The Steelers keep grinding toward a spot in the playoffs.

It is crazy to think the Pittsburgh Steelers have been outgained in every game this season and have a negative point differential they are 6-3 and the No. 5 seed in the AFC. They are in second place in the AFC North and nipping at the heels of the Baltimore Ravens.

This week the Steelers take on the Cleveland Browns and the playoff implications are huge. According to Pro Football Focus, if the Steelers beat the Browns on Sunday, their chances of making the playoffs go up to 79 percent but if the Steelers lose, the odds go all the way down to 46 percent.

The AFC North is all beat up with the Browns and Bengals losing their starting quarterbacks for the foreseeable future. The Steelers final eight games line up as very winnable thanks to the rash of injuries and Pittsburgh could end the most unlikely playoff team in the NFL.

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Steelers DT Montravius Adams questionable to return with ankle injury

The Steelers are down a defensive lineman early in the first half.

The good news this week was the return of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward. And just in the nick of time as early in Thursday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, starting defensive lineman Montravius Adams went out with an ankle injury and is questionable to return.

The injury leaves the Steelers very thin along the defensive line. Nose tackles Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko are both inactive this week with the return of Heyward.

Adams has started all eight games this season. The Steelers currently lead the Titans 7-3 with two minutes left in the first quarter.

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3 reasons Steelers QB Kenny Pickett shouldn’t play vs the Titans

There is no reason to rush Kenny Pickett back this week.

On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett went out just before halftime with a rib injury. He was unable to return and the Steelers ended up losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-10.

On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin was non-committal about whether or not Pickett would be able to play Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans. We see the notion that Pickett be rushed back onto the field on a short week. Here are the big three reasons why.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin offers harsh truth about loss to the Texans

Mike Tomlin admits the Texans played harder than the Steelers last week.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday to talk about everything that went wrong in last week’s game against the Houston Texans. The Steelers lost 30-6 on Sunday and fell to 2-2 on the season.

It was clear watching these two teams play, there was a stark contrast in terms of effort between the two teams and it was refreshing to hear Tomlin actually acknowledge this to the media.

“Houston played more physical than us and played harder than us,” Tomlin said. This was on full display at the line of scrimmage. The Steelers got bullied on both sides of the football and it was pretty clear at times players gave up far too soon.

This week the Steelers square off against the Baltimore Ravens who are one of the most physical teams in the NFL. They are playing great football and will give the Steelers all they can handle even if they bring their best.

“The physicality component has our attention,” Tomlin said. This is great to hear but let us not act like this is new information. The Steelers coming out flat and getting pushed around is a trend going back to last season and maybe beyond.  The notion that these players can simply motivate themselves and be ready to play isn’t true. Tomlin and his staff need to intervene to get this team fired up to play like pros from here on out.

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Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick plans to lead by example

Minkah Fitzpatrick is a quiet leader who sets examples with his play not his words.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently working on rebuilding the secondary. One constant, however, is All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Since coming to the Steelers via a trade with the Miami Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has established himself as the best all-around safety in the NFL.

This is great when you have so many young, talented defensive backs on the roster. But Fitzpatrick isn’t planning to do a lot of talking on the field and instead is going to let his play do the talking and the young guys have to keep up.

“I’m not the type of guy that is going to be screaming and yelling and telling people what to do,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’m going to try and lead by example, and if they want to follow they can follow.”

The Steelers drafted cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. in the 2023 NFL draft and both would be well served to keep a close eye on Fitzpatrick as well as cornerback Patrick Peterson for guidance.

Last season Fitzpatrick was named an All-Pro for the third time in four seasons with Pittsburgh. The one year he didn’t make it all he did was lead the team in tackles with 124, had two interceptions and seven passes defended. This was such a down year for Fitzpatrick he didn’t even make the Pro Bowl and pundits wrote him off.

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2023 NFL draft: Full pro day schedule

Here is the schedule for the remainder of the pro days in March.

Starting on Monday, March 13, the college pro day tour heats up. Pro days are the last best chance for prospects in the 2023 NFL draft and teams to connect. For many prospects, this is a first chance to work out for teams if there were injury issues and for others, it is a chance to improve on previous performances.

Here is the full slate of pro days leading up to the draft. Be sure to keep checking back to Draft Wire for all your draft information.

Steelers land CB in new ESPN mock draft

The Steelers take a cornerback in Todd McShay’s new mock draft.

If you found your way here after reading the headline, welcome. If you came here as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan hoping to see ESPN’s Todd McShay giving the Steelers Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in his new one-round mock draft, prepare to be disappointed.

McShay passed on Porter, letting him fall to the No. 19 pick and instead gave the Steelers Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Here’s what he had to say about the pick:

Forbes is flying up my board just like he flew in the 40-yard dash on Friday night, posting a 4.35. He has great ball production, picking off 14 passes and breaking up 18 more over three seasons. That fits with the Steelers, who led the league with 20 interceptions last season but could lose Cameron Sutton to free agency. Forbes also measured in at 6-1 and 166 pounds at the combine. Yes, 166 pounds. That might scare some teams off in Round 1, but they shouldn’t discount the high-level instincts and body control that we see on tape.

I acknowledge Forbes is a talented football player and that speed is enticing. But you’ve got to sell me pretty hard to convince me a 166-pound cornerback is worth the No. 17 overall pick. Let us know in the comments if you would be OK with this pick for the Steelers.

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WR DeAndre Hopkins exits game with hamstring injury

He had a 55-yard catch and did not return in the first half.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins entered the game questionable with a hamstring injury but was able to start the game. However, he might not finish it.

After catching a 55-yard pass that would have been a 61-yard touchdown had he not been flagged for grabbing the defender’s facemask, he did not return to the game in the first half.

He was seen on the sideline without his helmet and without his gloves in the second quarter, and also seen testing out his leg.

However, after that, it was announced in the press box that he injured his hamstring and was questionable to return.

Antoine Wesley replaced him in the lineup.

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Steelers vs Packers: 4 early causes for concern this week

The Steelers have a steep challenge on Sunday against the Packers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers get no breaks this week as they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers after an upset loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals. It might be too early to talk about a must-win game but this one might be as close as it gets for a team with playoff aspirations. Here are our early causes of concern.

Cardinals to have 6 games vs. top 4 tackles in NFL

Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones will have his hands full against four of the leagues 11 best tackles this year.

The Arizona Cardinals have one of the best tackles in the NFL in D.J. Humphries. He ranks seventh in the NFL, according to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

The Cardinals also will face a number of the top tackles in the league on their 2021 NFL schedule.

They face four of the top 11 in six different games.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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