Tag: Steelers

NFL playoff picture: Bad week for Dolphins got worse on Sunday, Monday

Calais Campbell thinks 10-7 would get the Dolphins in the playoffs, but even that might not be enough.

Shortly after the Miami Dolphins lost to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving to fall to 5-7 on the year, defensive lineman Calais Campbell told reporters, “I feel 10-7 gets us in” the playoffs. After Sunday and Monday, even that’s not looking likely.

The Dolphins have no shot at catching the Buffalo Bills, who clinched a fifth consecutive AFC East title. So the only path to the postseason for Miami is to track down at least one of four contenders: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos.

The problem is that those teams aren’t leaving the door open.

While the Ravens lost a hard fought game against the Philadelphia Eagles, they’re still at eight wins. And both the Chargers and Broncos got their eighth win. The Steelers face several tough teams down the stretch, but improved to 9-3 with a shootout victory against the Bengals.

With only five weeks left, here’s the current state of affairs in the AFC:

  1. (x) Kansas City Chiefs: 11-1
  2. (y) Buffalo Bills: 10-2
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-3
  4. Houston Texans: 8-5
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-4
  6. Baltimore Ravens: 8-5
  7. Denver Broncos: 8-5
  • Indianapolis Colts: 6-7
  • Miami Dolphins: 5-7
  • Cincinnati Bengals: 4-8

(x – clinched playoff berth; y – clinched division title)

In the hypothetical that the Dolphins won five straight to finish the year 10-7, they’d have an 8-5 record in AFC play. That would likely be enough to win a tiebreaker if any of the teams ahead of them slip up. But Miami will need to be perfect and get some help to get into the postseason.

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NFL playoff picture: What are Chargers’ chances of making postseason after win over Falcons?

The Chargers are in excellent position to play beyond the regular season.

The Chargers beat the Falcons on Sunday, improving their record to 8-4 and their chances of making the playoffs.

According to NFL.com, Los Angeles has a 94% chance of making the playoffs. With the Bolts’ win and the Ravens’ loss to the Eagles on Sunday, L.A. moved back up to the fifth seed.

Here’s a look at the division standings entering Week 14:

1. Chiefs (11-1)

2. Chargers (8-4)

3. Broncos (7-5)

4. Raiders (2-10)

And a look at the playoff picture:

*There are (7) available Playoff spots

1. Chiefs (11-1)

2. Bills (10-2)

3. Steelers (9-3)

4. Texans (8-5)

5. Chargers (8-4)

6. Ravens (8-5)

7. Broncos (7-5)

8. Colts (6-7)

9. Dolphins (5-7)

10. Bengals (4-8)

AFC playoff matchups if the season ended today:

  • No. 2 Bills vs. No. 7 Broncos
  • No. 3 Steelers vs. No. 6 Ravens
  • No. 4 Texans vs. No. 5 Chargers

Ravens window for 2024 AFC North title has re-opened with Steelers loss

The fantastic finish left the Ravens just one game behind the Steelers for the division lead, with seven left to play

When the teenage/1970s version of Homer Simpson traveled to the future, which for us is the present (actually, to be accurate, it’s already the recent past), he was in pure awe of the very existence of Thursday Night Football.

Many Baltimore Ravens fans, as well as neutrals for that matter, probably matched the excitement and wonder of high school-aged Homer while watching this week’s edition of Thursday Night Football.

The Cleveland Browns’ 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was an actual “snow globe” game, and that alone made it enjoyable to watch. Within this winter wonderland, you saw an extremely entertaining game that kept going back and forth during crunch time.

The fantastic finish on the snow-showered shores of Lake Erie left the Ravens just one game behind the Steelers for the division lead, with seven left to play. Plus, any time you see the division leaders drop a game to the last-place side, it’s a tremendous boon to all the other teams chasing them.

After the Brownies upset the Steelers in the Snow Bowl, the ESPN Analytics app updated its postseason predictor the following day. According to their projections, the Ravens have a 45% chance of winning the AFC North.

In other words, we have a division title race again! The model also gives Baltimore a 97% chance of making the postseason but only a 1% chance of earning a bye.

They do give the Ravens an 18% chance of reaching the Super Bowl, which is encouraging. As Brian in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy famously said, “60% of the time, it works every time.”

In all seriousness, though, the Ravens’ game against the Steelers on Sunday, December 21, could very well be the de facto AFC North division title game.

NFL playoff picture: What are Chargers’ chances of making postseason after win over Bengals?

The Chargers are in great position to play beyond the regular season.

The Chargers beat the Bengals on Sunday, picking up their fourth consecutive victory. They improved to 7-3, and their chances of playing beyond the regular season.

According to NFL.com, Los Angeles has a 91% chance of making the playoffs. With the Bolts’ win and the Ravens’ loss to the Steelers on Sunday, L.A. moved up to the fifth seed.

Here’s a look at the division standings entering Week 12:

1. Chiefs (9-1)

2. Chargers (7-3)

3. Broncos (6-5)

4. Raiders (2-8)

And a look at the playoff picture:

*There are (7) available Playoff spots

1. Chiefs (9-1)

2. Bills (9-2)

3. Steelers (8-2)

4. Texans (6-4)

5. Chargers (7-3)

6. Ravens (7-4)

7. Broncos (6-5)

8. Colts (5-6)

9. Dolphins (4-6)

10. Bengals (4-7)

AFC playoff matchups if the season ended today:

  • No. 2 Bills vs. No. 7 Broncos
  • No. 3 Steelers vs. No. 6 Ravens
  • No. 4 Texans vs. No. 5 Chargers

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell on Justin Tucker: “he’s a legend”

Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell went a perfect 6/6 on his field goal attempts, and thus accounted for every point scored by the winners 

Murphy’s law is an epigram that usually states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

For the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, in their 18-16 loss at their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, things went wrong that nobody could have ever anticipated.

Justin Tucker, arguably the G.O.A.T. of placekickers, is missing not one but two field goals.

Derrick Henry, the king of all running backs, fumbling the ball away for the first time in two years.

Most believe Lamar Jackson has been the NFL MVP thus far this season, but he has completed less than half of his pass attempts.

And on the other sideline, the Steelers won with a dominant defense and elite special teams.

The main hero of this game?

Probably Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell, who went a perfect 6/6 on his field goal attempts and thus accounted for every point scored by the winning side.

Tucker has missed six field goal attempts in the season after missing only five last.

In his postgame media opportunity, Boswell made it clear that he doesn’t think Tucker is slipping at all.

Added Boswell: “He’s a Hall of Famer, and next thing you know, he’ll go on another 100 field goal streak, and everyone will forget about this and move past it.”

Boswell is right- while it was shocking to see, this was just a bad day at the office for Tucker.

Why was Derrick Henry barely involved during crunch time of Ravens loss to Steelers?

Derrick Henry had zero touches in the fourth quarter, and was not in the game for the potentially tying two-point conversion attempt  

The next time Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken meets the media, the first question should pertain to Derrick Henry, specifically, why the superstar tailback wasn’t part of the plan when the game was on the line.

If Henry is truly “The King,” then regicide was committed with the crunch time play-calling. Henry was not in the game on the two-point conversion attempt on Baltimore’s final drive, which could have tied the game.

Henry, with his 5.0 yards per carry, should have been considered one of the primary potential options in that goal-line situation.

He also had no carries in the fourth quarter. And while Henry did have one touch in the final stanza, a 15-yard reception from Lamar Jackson, it was nullified by an illegal man downfield penalty.

So, in other words, he had zero official touches in the fourth quarter.

Compounding his problems this afternoon, Henry also lost a fumble for the first time since 2002, a streak of 538 touches. However, this one very rare gaffe does not justify Monken’s decision to go away from him.

Taysom Hill’s stat line vs. Browns is the first of its kind since 1951

Taysom Hill’s stat line against the Browns is the first of its kind since 1951. You just don’t see many players with his skill set in this day and age:

How’s this for an old-school stat line? Taysom Hill leapt out early against the Cleveland Browns with a pass completion, rushing touchdown, and a kickoff return in Week 11’s New Orleans Saints game — before he threw an ill-advised interception down the middle of the field. You don’t see many players involved that often on both offense and special teams.

As noted by statistician and Saints fan Jeff Asher, Hill is the first player to check each of those boxes since Joe Geri did it back in 1951. A two-time Pro Bowler with the Pittsburgh Steelers who closed out his pro football career with the then-Chicago Cardinals in 1952, Geri played in a different era that Hill’s set of skills throws back to. He’s one of five different players who met these qualifiers from 1946 to 1951.

It feels like only a matter of time until the Saints get Hill involved defensively; former head coach Dennis Allen had said he’d consider playing Hill at linebacker, but it’s probably a long-shot to see Hill get in on all three phases regardless of who’s running the defense. He’s got a full plate as it is.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Patrick Queen’s performance in Week 10

Patrick Queen’s dominant Week 10 performance, highlighted by Brian Baldinger, showcased his elite skills and playmaking ability.

The Patrick Queen redemption tour seemingly started to take shape in the Steelers’ Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders.

While the Steelers’ initial acquisition of Queen this past offseason was met with excitement from fans and players alike, his performance through the first eight weeks of the season had been inconsistent, to say the least.

However, Queen’s elite Week 10 performance caught the attention of fans and analysts alike, as NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, host of Baldy’s Breakdowns, highlighted what made Queen so special against Washington on Sunday.

Wherever the ball went, more often than not, Queen was following. His speed and spectacular tackling ability were evident on several key tackles on Washington’s QB Jayden Daniels, WR Terry McLaurin, and RB Austin Ekeler.

Queen’s play recognition will surely be of great use in the team’s Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens, where the Steelers will need every physical and mental ability sharply tuned to stop his former teammate, QB Lamar Jackson, from taking over the game.

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Ben Roethlisberger’s live reaction to Week 10’s game-ending penalty

Steelers’ legendary QB Ben Roethlisberger shared his excitement over the game-winning neutral zone infraction in Week 10 against Washington.

You can take Big Ben out of Pittsburgh, but you can never take Pittsburgh out of Big Ben.

Steelers’ legendary QB Ben Roethlisberger had his eyes glued to the team’s Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders, even sharing his live reaction to Russell Wilson’s hard count that resulted in a game-winning neutral zone infraction penalty.

With 1:02 left in the game, Pittsburgh led 28-27 but faced a critical fourth-and-one situation. A turnover could have sealed their fate, but Wilson capitalized on the moment with an impressive hard count and cadence. The move drew Commanders’ DT Johnny Newton into the neutral zone, giving the Steelers a first down and sealing the win.

Roethlisberger had an incredible and hilarious reaction to what unfolded on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben jumping out of his seat with excitement is exactly how most Steelers fans, including myself, reacted to the ending of the contest. Truly, Newton only had one job to do, but no one in the Steel City is complaining about his lack of composure to end the game if favor of the Black and Gold.

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Former Packers edge rusher Preston Smith shines in first game with Steelers

Preston Smith had a sack and a tackle for loss in his first game with the Steelers on Sunday.

Former Green Bay Packers edge rusher Preston Smith didn’t wait long to make an impact with his new team. Five days after being traded from by the Packers to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Smith delivered two big plays across 23 snaps in the Steelers’ 28-27 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Smith produced a 1-yard sack of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in the third quarter and made a tackle for loss — on a play losing 11 yards — on third down to start the fourth quarter. The sack put the Commanders behind the sticks and eventually forced a field goal attempt; the tackle for loss forced a punt.

Smith finished with a 72.1 overall defense grade at Pro Football Focus. It represented the third-highest grade on the Steelers defense on Sunday and Smith’s second-highest grade of the 2024 season.

Smith asked the Packers for a trade, and the team obliged, sending him back to the 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh. Across 23 snaps as a standout outside linebacker, Smith played nine snaps against the run, 12 as a pass-rusher and two in coverage. The veteran played his first nine seasons in the NFL in the 3-4 defense and feels more comfortable standing up on the edge of a three-man front.

The Steelers planned to use Smith as a rotational edge rusher behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. However, Highsmith suffered an ankle injury during the win over the Commanders, which could put Smith into a featured role opposite Watt for the foreseeable future. The win Sunday improved the Steelers’ record to 7-2, so Smith will be playing snaps for a legitimate contender down the stretch.