Tag: sports news

Steelers’ CB officially reinstated after 8-game suspension

Steelers’ CB Cameron Sutton has officially been reinstated after serving an 8-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy.

Some much needed assistance to an already impressive Steelers’ secondary has arrived.  CB Cameron Sutton, who rejoined the Pittsburgh Steelers back in June 5th, 2024, has been officially reinstated after serving an eight-game suspension to start the season.

Sutton’s suspension was a result of violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. His play for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2016 to 2022 was immaculate, to say the least.  He would ultimately price himself out of the Steel City, signing with the Detroit Lions in the 2023 offseason. The Lions had initially released Sutton as a result of his violation, and Steelers gave their former CB a second-chance to play in the league again.

How will Sutton’s return impact the already great Steelers’ 2024 defense?  Given how amazing rookie slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. has been to start the season, how will HC Mike Tomlin handle starting responsibilities?  Sutton’s natural position lies in the slot, and this could present another positional battle for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Pittsburgh ranks fourth-best in point differential through 8 weeks

The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL, boasting the fourth-best point differential through 8 weeks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ red-hot start continues to pick up steam. Not only does the AFC North currently run through the Steel City, but the team is also competing with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC conference. 

While the 6-2 Steelers are tied with the 6-2 Bills, and just one and a half games behind Kansas City, Pittsburgh actually holds the second-best point differential in the AFC and the fourth-best among all 32 NFL teams. 

So far in 2024, through eight weeks of football, the Steelers have scored 187 points while allowing only 119 points against them. This point differential of 68 trails only the NFC’s Washington Commanders with 69, the AFC’s Buffalo Bills with 84, and the NFC’s Detroit Lions with a staggering 100-point differential. 

Pittsburgh’s differential shows the NFL world that their balanced strength on both sides of the ball is not to be underestimated. With the trade deadline approaching, the Steelers would be wise to strengthen their roster further and prepare for a potentially deep playoff run. 

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Should Pittsburgh target an offensive lineman at the trade deadline? 

Poor penalty management by Steelers’ RT Broderick Jones, and injuries to the offensive line may need to be solved via trade by the deadline.

It is truly miraculous how the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win games given how injured their offensive line is. In Week 8, the Steelers were missing three starting offensive linemen, with two out for the entirety of the regular season. The interior depth on the o-line has been great, but the tackle position may need an upgrade before the upcoming trade deadline on November 5th. 

LT Dan Moore Jr., whose play has been outstanding this season, was banged up and had to sit out one play late in Week 8’s contest. Backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson replaced him and immediately allowed QB Russell Wilson to get sacked. 

RT Broderick Jones continues to commit penalties that kill offensive momentum, and while it is probably time for HC Mike Tomlin to bench him, there is truly no quality starter who could take his place. 

Offensive tackle trade targets such as Cam Robinson, Andrus Peat, or Walker Little could help alleviate the injury woes. This team looks primed to make a deep playoff run, but they’ll first need to address depth issues on the offensive side of the football. 

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Did Pittsburgh find their WR2 in Week 8’s victory over the NY Giants?

Calvin Austin stepped up in a major way for the Steelers in their Week 8 victory—potentially solidifying his position as the team’s WR2.

In the past decade, most, if not all, of the Steelers’ top receivers started out as dynamic punt returners. Steelers receivers such as Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Diontae Johnson all were incredibly successful as punt returners, eventually blossoming into phenomenal receivers for Pittsburgh. One receiver from Week 8 seemingly had his career breakout game and turning point, as WR Calvin Austin electrified both the New York Giants’ secondary and special teams unit. 

In the third quarter of his team’s contest, with the score tied 9-9, Austin knew he needed to make a splash play. He proceeded to step up when the team needed him most, returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. He further solidified his position as WR2 when he caught a 29-yard TD reception from QB Russell Wilson, his second touchdown of the night. 

Much speculation and trade rumors have been made over the Steelers necessity of an elite-caliber receiver opposite WR1 George Pickens, but scoring twice on the night and accumulating 54 receiving yards on just three receptions should prove why Austin is the WR2 Pittsburgh has been looking for. 

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Mike Tomlin offers poor excuse for illegal challenge flag in Week 8

Mike Tomlin has made some questionable game-time coaching decisions throughout his tenure, but perhaps the worst came in Week 8’s victory.

It seems like challenge flags bring Head Coach Mike Tomlin nothing but trouble. With the score tied 6-6 in the second quarter, QB Russell Wilson seemingly hit WR George Pickens on a solid touchdown pass to potentially put the Steelers up 13-6. However, as all scoring plays are automatically reviewed, it was determined by replay assist that Pickens did not get both feet in bounds. Tomlin, unaware of the referees stating aloud that further review took the play away, threw a challenge flag he wishes he could have taken back. He was not permitted to challenge a play that had already been reviewed, and a timeout was deducted from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tomlin’s excuse for the botched challenge was less than acceptable, as he claimed ignorance regarding whether or not the play was reviewed by officials. 

All 32 NFL coaches understand that scoring plays are automatically reviewed, and thankfully, the Steelers were able to pull off the win in Week 8, no thanks to the poor decision to challenge the automatically reviewed play.

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Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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Steelers fans react to Roman Wilson IR news

Roman Wilson’s injured hamstring resulted in the rookie being placed on IR. Here are some passionate fan reactions to the awful news.

The, ‘will Roman Wilson play’ drama, appears to be taking a short-term hiatus—four weeks at least—as the rookie’s hamstring injury resulted in the receiver being placed on injured reserve. In recent weeks, fans and reporters alike have been calling for clarification as to why Wilson was being used so sparingly, only playing for a total of 5 snaps in one game thus far in 2024. 

Some were quick to point out Wilson’s injuries leading up to his Week 5 debut; however, he was a healthy scratch in the weeks before this. Wilson also missed his team’s Week 6 game, but Tomlin argued that Wilson’s hamstring injury was less of a reason and that he had ‘moved on’ from the situation.

Fans of the Steel City were split on their initial reactions to Wilson being added to IR on Monday, and here are some of the passionate social media responses to the news. 

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Steelers QB avoided major hamstring injury

Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Justin Fields avoided a major hamstring injury and looks to be a game-time decision on MNF.

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief.  Justin Fields’ hamstring injury caught many by surprise, as not only was it a last minute addition to Week 8’s injury report, but the precarious proximity to the trade deadline caused speculation to run rampant.

However, in regards to both Fields’ short-term and long-term health, it appears the Steelers dodged a major bullet.  While it was reported yesterday that Fields would need to undergo an MRI to understand the true extent of the injury, Insider Ian Rapoport confirmed on Monday that Fields participation in Week 8 would be a game time decision.

If Fields’ injury isn’t severe and he could potentially play tonight, is his hamstring situation similar to Davante Adams’ ‘injury’—an issue that miraculously resolved after being traded to the New York Jets?

Speculation aside, it is comforting that the Steelers avoided a disastrous injury to one of their great young players.  The situation is worth keeping an eye on as we inch closer to the start of the Steelers’ Week 8  Monday Night Football matchup at 8:15 PM EST.

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Freiermuth could breakout on MNF’s belated National Tight Ends Day

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth will be celebrating National Tightends Day one day late, as Pittsburgh headlines Monday Night Football.

Tight ends around the league were truly celebrating their day on October 27th.  National Tight Ends Day, falling on the fourth Sunday in October, went off with a bang in Week 8.  Several elite tight end performances were showcased across the NFL, such as Tampa Bay’s Cade Otton, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle, Arizona’s Trey McBride, and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, just to name a few.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth missed out on the celebration, as Pittsburgh didn’t have the opportunity to play on Sunday, and  instead host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

Freiermuth hasn’t had the breakout season fans were hoping for the young TE, and has only gone over 50-yards receiving twice in 2024 thus far.

Steelers QB Russell Wilson provides elite-level signal calling and could provide Friermuth an opportunity to dominate on his belated celebration of National Tight Ends day.

Will Freiermuth finally have his breakout game in 2024?  While the Giants may present a potential trap game for the Steel City, the Pittsburgh tight end could see additional targets and splash play opportunities heading into his positional unit’s belated celebration on MNF.

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Pittsburgh should acquire former All-Pro CB via trade

The Los Angeles Rams are discussing CB Tre’Davious White’s future with the team, and a trade seems likely. Could Pittsburgh acquire him?

While Pittsburgh Steelers fans clamor for General Manager Omar Khan to pull the trigger on acquiring a veteran wide receiver, one interesting trade target could make the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense even more frightening.

The Los Angeles Rams have been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent days, with rumors of a possible trade for All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp.  However, this trade failed to gain momentum.  There is another All-Pro veteran player on the Rams’ roster, though, who seems to have been given a green light to seek a potential trade.

29-year old Rams’ All-Pro CB Tre’Davious White, drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, has discussed his future with Los Angeles and a trade seems likely.

Khan could potentially add another established and talented veteran to an already great Steelers’ defense.  White would complement the teams needs, as CB depth was an area of concern heading into the 2024 season.

The possible addition of White to a cornerback room that contains Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, Beanie Bishop Jr., and the returning Cameron Sutton is a scary unit for any offense to throw against.

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