Coming off an opening season loss to the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to earn their first win of the season when they host the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon. San Francisco is coming off an impressive Monday night victory over the Minnesota Vikings and provided evidence, at least for one week, that they are not the pushovers many expect them to be this season. With Jim Harbaugh moving on to the University of Michigan, Pittsburgh's own Jim Tomsula is now in ... Read More
Pitt vs. Iowa: preview, prediction and more
Despite of heading into Saturday night's road test at Iowa with a 2-0 record, the Pitt Panthers face an array of questions as they prepare for the Hawkeyes. Iowa also comes into the game undefeated, and has beaten the Panthers in their past two meetings, including last season's 24-20 comeback win at Heinz Field. Who has the edge this time around? Let's take a look. When: Saturday, 8:00 pm EST Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa Watch: Big Ten Network Spread: Iowa (-5.5) Series ... Read More
Secondary issues provide questions but few answers
After watching the Steelers secondary perform this past Thursday, I could not help but hear The Who front man Roger Daltrey passionately exhorting the final verse of their hit song "Won't Get Fooled Again" in my ear. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!" Although I'm sure some of you reading this may not remember this classic tune, it seemed to be pretty fitting. That's because anyone who watched the Patriots surgically take apart the Steelers pass defense should get the comparison: new ... Read More
ACC Power Rankings: Week 3
Week 3 of ACC football featured a number of games where FCS and smaller conference opponents were on the docket. With only one team, Virginia facing a ranked opponent, ACC teams mostly had strong opportunities to add wins before the conference schedule gets into full swing. Let's look how the teams fared, and update the rankings. 1. Georgia Tech (2-0, 0-0 ACC, defeated Tulane 65-10, Last week No. 1) Georgia Tech holds its spot at the top for second consecutive week. Paul Johnson has the ... Read More
Narduzzi downplays Pitt QB controversy
Quarterback controversy at the University of Pittsburgh? Not if you ask first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi, who made it clear during his weekly press conference yesterday that he views having two quarterbacks worthy of playing time a good thing, and certainly not something to worry about as they prepare to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday night. "We've got two very, very capable quarterbacks," Narduzzi said. "We're comfortable with both those guys. We didn't have that in the ... Read More
Can Josh Scobee be trusted as Steelers kicker?
From 2012 to 2014, a case could be made that Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham was one of the best kickers in the NFL. Over that span, Suisham converted 87 of 95 kicks for a 91.5 percent conversion rate. He put up those incredible numbers kicking not only in the notoriously difficult conditions at Heinz Field, but playing in the AFC North, where conditions in places like Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati are not exactly optimal. So when Suisham was lost for the season with a torn ... Read More
Three up and Three down: Steelers vs. Patriots
Each week this football season, Pittsburgh Sporting News will take a look at the positives and negatives from that week's Pittsburgh Steelers contest in Three up and Three down. Let's start with last night's season-opening 28-21 defeat against the New England Patriots. Three up: •For starters, did DeAngelo Williams find the fountain of youth, or what? Any concerns about Williams being able bridge the two-game gap until suspended All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell can return were put to rest ... Read More
Week 1 preview: can the Steelers stop ‘Gronk’?
After months of waiting to finally kick off the 2015 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium with kickoff set for 8:30 tonight on NBC. If history is any indication, the Steelers will have an uphill climb to come out with a victory. Since the NFL started having the defending Super Bowl champion host the "kickoff game" in 2004, the home team has a 9-2 record over that span. Considering that the Steelers have struggled ... Read More
2015 Pittsburgh Steelers preview and prediction
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to play a down in the 2015 season, it would be fair to say they have already dealt with their fair share of tough breaks and bad news. Toughest schedule statistically in the NFL? Check. Open on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion? Check. Injuries and suspensions to a number of key members of the team? Indeed. That's just scratching the surface if you ask a lot of Steeler fans who don't exactly give you the impression ... Read More
Three key questions for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015
With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to begin their regular season Thursday night against the New England Patriots, the team heads into week one and beyond with a number of question marks. Let's look specifically at three key questions for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. Can the Pittsburgh Steelers offense repeat it's performance from 2014 with Bell, Pouncey and Bryant out to begin the season? It's hard to find an offense that was more productive last season than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben ... Read More