Tag: Steelers

Super Bowl LIX: Predicting the winner in Chiefs vs Eagles

We are taking the Chiefs over the Eagles in the Super Bowl

Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t playing in Super Bowl LIX, we will be watching the game like most of you. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will square off with history on the line. If the Chiefs beat the Eagles, they will win their third Super Bowl in a row. This is something even the great Steelers teams of the 1970s couldn’t pull off.

Having watched nearly every game both of these teams have played, we are confident this game is going to be an instant classic. The showdown between quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes is worth the price of a ticket alone.

This prediction about who we are rooting for. If the Steelers aren’t in the game, there’s no one to root for. But we expect to see the Chiefs find a way to pull off a win because it’s just what they do. Mahomes is an elite quarterback but make no mistake, this is an elite coaching staff that maximizes the talent on this team.

Cast your vote and tell us who you think will win the Super Bowl. We are taking the Chiefs over the Eagles is a close game as they make NFL history.

Chiefs 34, Eagles 27

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Saints involved in two trade proposals that would reshape the NFL

This B/R writer says two New Orleans Saints veterans getting traded to the AFC North could impact the NFL playoff picture:

Rebuilds typically lead to an exodus of veteran players as the team gets younger. As the New Orleans Saints begin their rebuild, reload or whatever they want to call it, they too will get younger.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport saw two Saints veterans as bargaining chips. He cooked up six trades that could reshape the league, and New Orleans was involved with two of them. Davenport had the Saints sending two players to the AFC North: Derek Carr to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tyrann Mathieu to the Baltimore Ravens.

Carr to the Steelers would probably make the fans in black and yellow pretty upset and fans donning the black and gold may rejoice. Carr would feel very similar to the acquisition of Russell Wilson. He’s been discussed already as a possible trade target for Pittsburgh.

While Davenport is right to say the Steelers showed they don’t need an elite quarterback to be competitive, their limitations on offense still showed. On the note of competitiveness, Davenport pointed out “the opportunity to play for a contender” could entice Carr to waive his no-trade clause.

Davenport pairs Mathieu with Baltimore to help a struggling pass defense. This trade may become less likely because the Ravens improved mightily after moving Hamilton to deep safety. It would allow Mathieu to play closer to the box, but Baltimore may not be in the market for safety help anymore.

But what would the Saints get out of this? In terms of draft picks, Davenport’s trades have New Orleans getting a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a conditional pick in 2026 for Carr, plus a fifth-round pick in 2025. As for the salary cap benefits? Trading Carr before June 1 saves the Saints $11.3 million. But trading Mathieu saves only $16,000. That’s it. The team would still be paying $11.3 million this year if they trade Mathieu before June 1. They might be better off holding onto him.

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Colin Cowherd goes viral for trade proposal involving a Wisconsin Badger legend

Agree with Colin Cowherd’s trade proposal?

Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd put himself in the role of NFL general manager during Thursday’s edition of his national sports talk show, “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”

He proposed a solution for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ current situation. That situation, specifically, is the team’s six consecutive playoff losses and eight overall seasons without a playoff win.

Related: Recapping Wisconsin football’s winter transfer portal movement

The Steelers, as Wisconsin football fans should know, are led by former Badger quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker T.J. Watt. Their defensive line features tackles Isaiahh Loudermilk and Keeanu Benton, plus linebacker Nick Herbig. Any initiative taken to improve the team after years of playoff failures will likely include one or several of those players.

Cowherd’s proposal involves several of them. He proposed the following trade, the video explanation of which is up to 1.2 million views on X:

Steelers trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens and two first-round picks to a team at the top of the draft to select Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.

“The Steelers have been putting band-aids on for six years,” Cowherd explains. “I think they have to rip it off. I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens and two first-round picks if your scouting department said, ‘Shedeur Sanders is the guy.'”

Here’s his full explanation:

This trade discussion is rooted in the team’s average and sub-par quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2021. It drafted Kenny Pickett in 2022, went 9-8 and 10-7 in his two seasons under center, and then went 10-7 again in 2024 with Wilson and Justin Fields splitting the duties.

Wilson gave the team an initial boost when he took over in late October, winning six of his first seven games. He and the Steelers then dropped four straight to close the season before a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round.

Cowherd’s contention is that new life is necessary under center, and Sanders is arguably the best quarterback in the draft.

The price of Watt, Pickens and multiple picks is steep, however.

Watt is among the top pass-rushers in the sport. Although he just eclipsed 30 years old, he has amassed 30 1/2 sacks and 38 tackles for loss over the last two seasons combined. There’s been no sign his game is slipping. Pickens, meanwhile, just led the team with 900 receiving yards.

“I think you have to go take the next big swing on this thing,” Cowherd continued. “If you want to find the next Big Ben … To me, there’s three teams in the league that are a quarterback away, the Colts, the Seahawks and the Steelers. If you got the right quarterback, they’re pretty interesting teams. But there’s no recent history to make me believe that Pittsburgh would get aggressive.”

The proposed trade certainly falls into the aggressive category. For our purposes, it would nearly eliminate our near-weekly update on the Steelers’ performance.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

Ex-Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson signs deal with AFC North team

Skylar Thompson’s contract with the Dolphins expired Monday and it didn’t take long for him to find a new home.

Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson is signing a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to his agents at SportsTrust Advisors.

Thompson, who joined the Dolphins as a 2022 seventh-round draft pick, spent three seasons with the team and finished 2024 on Miami’s practice squad. But when the team signed 12 players to futures contracts last week, the 27-year-old passer wasn’t on the list. That meant he officially became a free agent Monday when his contract expired.

In August, Thompson beat out Mike White for the backup role in Miami. When Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2 that sent him to injured reserve, the Dolphins turned to the third-year quarterback, but he struggled to keep the team on track.

Thompson started Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, but recorded only 107 passing yards, was sacked five times, and fumbled twice before exiting with an injury in a 24-3 loss.

In three seasons with Miami, Thompson in 10 regular season games and made three starts. He threw one touchdown with five interceptions. Thompson also started in the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills in January 2023, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions in a 34-31 loss.

Thompson joins a Steelers team that has Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen at quarterback, although all three of those players are set to become free agents in March.

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Former Wisconsin Badgers quiet in Steelers playoff loss to Ravens

Former Wisconsin Badgers quiet in Steelers playoff loss to Ravens

Several former Wisconsin Badgers were nowhere to be seen on Saturday night as the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Baltimore Ravens 28-14 in the Wild Card round.

Quarterback Russell Wilson did deliver a respectable performance leading the Steelers’ offense, finishing with 270 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. But otherwise, the group of former Badgers on the Steelers’ defense struggled to impact the game.

Related: Tracking former Wisconsin Badgers in 2025 NFL playoff Wild Card Weekend

The most notable stat line is T.J. Watt’s — zero tackles, zero sacks and zero pass deflections. He failed to register a single statistic as the Ravens totaled 464 yards of offense including a franchise record 299 rushing yards.

Watt hasn’t registered a sack since he suffered an ankle injury in the Steelers’ Dec. 15 loss to the Eagles. He’s played in four games since that date, tallying seven total tackles, one run stuff and one pass deflection. His lack of effectiveness rushing the quarterback was a big part of the Ravens’ ability to control the game.

Linebacker Nick Herbig had a similar outing, failing to record a single tackle. Other notable former Badgers on the Steelers’ defense are Isaiahh Loudermilk (three total tackles, two solo) and Keeanu Benton (four total tackles, two solo).

In all, those four defensive linemen combined for seven total tackles (four solo), zero tackles for loss and zero sacks.

Saturday’s result is the Steelers’ fifth consecutive playoff loss dating back to 2017. The Ravens with the victory move on to face the Texans or the Broncos, pending Sunday’s results.

 Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Saints named great fit for an embattled former first-round pick

The New Orleans Saints were named a top landing spot for former first round pick and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields:

The New Orleans Saints don’t have an inspiring option at quarterback for next season, and they could look to make a move for a different, cheaper option under center than Derek Carr. If nothing else Spencer Rattler could use more competition to back him up than we saw from Jake Haener this season.

Anthony Palacios of LastWordOnSports recently listed the Saints as a top landing spot for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields this offseason, putting them within the top five destinations.

Here is what Palacios laid out to make the case for Fields-to-New Orleans:

“Derek Carr will be back this upcoming 2025 season with General Manager Mickey Loomis not looking to rebuild. Rookie Spencer Rattler got some playing time this past 2024 campaign but hasn’t yet proven he can take on full-time duties.”

Even looking past the struggles that New Orleans has had at quarterback lately, adding a former first round pick that is still on their rookie contract is always likely to be at least someone intriguing.

Coming out of the draft, Fields had a lot of hype behind him, but it has failed to convert to any real production. The Chicago Bears traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he actually started to show some growth before they went to Russell Wilson.

Fields completed 65.8% of his passes for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns to one interception in six games as the starter. He also ran the ball for 231 yards and five more scores in that time.

In the two years that Chris Olave played with Fields for the Ohio State Buckeyes, the receiver had 99 catches for 1,578 yards with 19 touchdowns. There is clear chemistry to tap into there as well. You’d think the Saints would have acquired Fields when the Bears traded him, having owned the same draft capital as Pittsburgh with a couple of his former coaches on staff, but maybe they’re more willing to make a move when he’s a free agent rather than a trade acquisition.

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AFC playoff picture: There are now 2 possible opponents for Texans in wild card round

The Texans know they’re either hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.

The Houston Texans are locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC Playoffs regardless of Sunday’s outcome against the Tennessee Titans.

Their opponent? It rests in the hands of Justin Herbert.

The Texans’ options for next week’s wild-card round are down to the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. Since Pittsburgh lost at home to the Cincinnati Bengals, the fate of the No. 5 seed belongs to the Bolts.

If Los Angeles (10-6) beats Las Vegas on Sunday, it will lock up the fifth seed and travel to NRG Stadium to play the Texans in the wild-card round. With a loss, Pittsburgh (10-7) heads south for a winner-take-all showdown in what perhaps will be the Amazon Prime game of the weekend.

Pittsburgh would earn the No. 5 seed because of its head-to-head win over Los Angeles back in September.

The team that nabs the No. 6 seed is in for trouble. The Baltimore Ravens, who bested the Texans in a 31-2 Christmas chaotic outing, clinched the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with a dominant victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon.

The rest of the AFC is mostly set entering Sunday’s finale. Kansas City locked up the No. 1 seed at 16-1, while Buffalo is guaranteed the No. 2 seed.
Denver (9-7), Cincinnati (9-8) and Miami (8-8) are alive for the final spot.

With a win over the Chiefs, the Broncos are in at 10-7.

With a win over the New York Jets and a Denver loss, the Dolphins are in.

The Bengals did their job and have a head-to-head win over Denver, but they still need help to secure a postseason bid.

They’ll be pulling for the Chiefs and Jets to upset the Broncos and Dolphins, respectively.

AFC playoff picture: There are now 2 possible opponents for Chargers in wild card round

Who will the Chargers face in the wild-card round of the playoffs?

The Chargers now control their playoff fate after the Steelers lost to the Bengals on Saturday.

If Los Angeles beats the Raiders on Sunday, they will lock up the fifth seed and travel to Houston to play the Texans in the wild-card round.

However, if the Bolts lose to Las Vegas, Pittsburgh will get the fifth seed, and L.A. will be locked into the sixth seed, sending them to Baltimore to take on the Ravens next weekend.

With a win required for the best-case scenario, head coach Jim Harbaugh will likely play his starters. If the Chargers have a big enough lead, he could elect to pull them and play the backups.

Once all the games finish at the end of the day tomorrow, we will know the date and time Los Angeles will play and the broadcast it will be televised on.

Will the Chargers rest their starters vs. Raiders in Week 18?

The Chargers have fallen victim to losing a key starter in a Week 18 game when they already secured a spot in the playoffs.

The Chargers are locked in with a playoff berth, with one game remaining in the regular season against the Raiders this Sunday.

With a playoff spot already secured, the question now becomes whether or not Los Angeles will play its starters with the hope of no one getting hurt.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about resting starters on the “Let’s Go Podcast” this past week, potentially hinting that he will play them.

“We’re going to be playing to win at all times,” Harbaugh responded. “That never changes. I like what Derwin James said, he’s our captain… He said, 11 wins sounds better than 10. So we’re, we’re attacking it.”

“We’re attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. The thing that doesn’t resonate right now is, you know, play the backups. What are we going to do? Dress 25 guys for the game?” he added.

Harbaugh and the rest of the team will have their eyes on the TV on Saturday, watching to see how the game between the Steelers and Bengals goes.

If Pittsburgh loses to Cincinnati, L.A. must beat Las Vegas to secure the fifth seed. However, if the Steelers win, the Chargers will be locked into the sixth seed.

The Chargers have fallen victim to losing a key starter in a Week 18 game when they already had a spot in the playoffs. Two years ago, Mike Williams suffered a low back injury that forced him to miss the postseason.

However, the consequences of resting the starters could be not getting live-game reps and potentially causing them to feel rusty from the extra rest time.

“I think going into the playoffs, it’s important to not get rusty,” edge defender Joey Bosa said. “Obviously I feel like I’m still really working back for my injury and have a lot to continue to improve.”

We will have to wait to see how Harbaugh approaches this game and what he does with the starters.

Former Broncos QB Tim Tebow reflects on thrilling 2011 Wild Card victory over Steelers

Former Denver #Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow reflects on thrilling 2011 Wild Card game victory over the Pittsburgh #Steelers w/ @EdEastonJr

This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Heisman Trophy winner and former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Tebow, on behalf of the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, discussed joining forces with New Orleans nonprofit Son of a Saint for a day of mentorship and reflected on the memorable 2011 AFC Wild Card game Broncos’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Son of a Saint is doing a mentor day with many amazing young men who, unfortunately, have lost a father,” Tebow explained. “Son of a Saint mentors them and gives them many amazing opportunities. And so we’re breaking up into stations, and we just had the chance to celebrate with all the good works team members and then give back together.

“I’m just so proud of all these young men for not just what they do on the field but, more importantly, who they are and how they serve off the field. I love that Allstate allows us to celebrate these young men as members of the Good Works team and the partnership of people coming together, from AFCA to the Wuerffel Trophy and the Wuerffel Foundation to so many people.”

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEQdpd7plVJ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Tebow was the starting quarterback for most of the 2011 season, leading the underdog Broncos to the postseason. Throughout the year, he spoke about the team’s unity as essential to their success and the AFC West division title.

“Brotherhood and belief that that team was just a special team that probably wasn’t, in every way, the best team, meaning, did we have all the perfect pieces? Maybe not, but, man, that was a close team, that team that never quit,” said Tebow. “It was a team that, like people throw the word brotherhood a lot like you really feel like it was.

“One of the coolest things is when you watch the touchdown to DT (Demaryius Thomas) to win the game; if you look at the wide copy, you’ll see Champ Bailey, one of the best cornerbacks ever to do it, is on the sideline running almost as fast as DT like, that’s a however, many year vet that invested in overtime.”

Tebow completed 10 passes for a career-high 316 yards and two touchdowns, including the famous 80-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime.

“It was the veterans. We had Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey, and Elvis Dumerville,” Tebow explained. “Then. you had the young guys, Von Miller, DT, and Eric Decker. Still, the relationship, camaraderie, and Never Say Die attitude, I think it was just so special. That’s what I think I’ll always take away. I think that what made us different was that sense of belief together, and we’re not going to quit.”

The following links provide more information on this year’s Allstate AFCA Good Works Team & New Orleans’ Son of a Saint organization.