The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in an unusual situation when they faced they Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in cold, blustery conditions yesterday afternoon: Pittsburgh had lost its last four games. It's not often the Steelers are mired in a four-game swoon, so it goes without saying they were desperate to get a win. And there's no better way to get back on track than to play the winless Browns. Thanks to a stifling defense and a workman-like effort from the offense, ... Read More
Are injuries derailing the Steelers’ season?
What's ailing the Pittsburgh Steelers these days? Past the halfway point in the season with the team staring at its 4-5 record, there seem to be plenty of theories being thrown about by fans, players and coaches alike. Is it poor coaching, as some have suggested in the wake of the excruciating, last-second loss to what might be the best team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys? Although there could be some credence to that argument, especially after four straight losses, I'm not sure that's ... Read More
Steelers’ wideouts need to step up vs. Dallas
Through eight games, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is averaging a little over 84 yards per game. And he has over 100 yards in just three of those games — against Washington (126 yards), the Philadelphia Eagles (140 yards) and the New England Patriots (106 yards). The rest of the Steelers’ wide receiving corps hasn’t fared much better. Pittsburgh’s wideouts have been riddled with injury — Markus Wheaton (shoulder), Eli Rogers (toe) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) will all ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Ravens
What can really be said when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers' absolutely horrific loss to the Baltimore Ravens? Although the 21-14 final score might trick those who didn't spend their afternoon watching the game into believing it wasn't that bad, it was, in fact, even worse. Let's do the game's post mortem on the loss in this week's edition of “Three up, three down.” Three up: Artie Burns turning the corner? — With starting cornerback William Gay out of the lineup with an injury, rookie ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Chiefs
What a difference a week can make. After one of the worst regular season losses of the Mike Tomlin era last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers bounced back by putting together a dominating performance in front of a national TV audience on Sunday Night Football, trouncing the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14. The victory pushed the Steelers (3-1) into a first-place tie with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North and, with it it, gave Pittsburgh some much-needed confidence ... Read More
Team grades: Steelers vs. Chiefs
The Pittsburgh Steelers turned the tide after a painful Week 3 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday night. The Steelers saw a few firsts in their Week 4 match against the Chiefs: running back Le’Veon Bell made his season debut, the pass rush was alive and well and Markus Wheaton didn’t drop a pass. Without further ado, here are the Steelers' positional grades from their Sunday Night Football game against the ... Read More
Markus Wheaton, it’s time to step up
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Markus Wheaton was surely anxious to get back onto the field again in the team's Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. He had missed the first two games due to an AC sprain and discomfort in his shoulder. However, in his regular-season debut, Wheaton didn’t perform well. In Pittsburgh's 34-3 loss to the Eagles, Wheaton had just one reception for two yards. He put up negative numbers as well, dropping three passes from quarterback Ben ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Eagles
Every so often, even football teams with storied traditions like the Pittsburgh Steelers put together a “throw-away-the-film” type of performance. You know, the game where it's nearly impossible to find anything positive. The type of defeat that, in retrospect, might end up being labeled as the worst regular-season loss in the Mike Tomlin era. In the wake of a 34-3 drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0), Tomlin and his staff need to take that tape and burn it, bury it, do anything to rid ... Read More
Three up, three down: Steelers vs. Broncos
Agonizingly close to earning a trip to New England to play in the AFC Championship game, the Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to hold a one-point fourth-quarter lead and would eventually falter to the Denver Broncos, 23-16. It was a gutty peformance by a Steelers team ravaged by injuries, but ultimately their efforts came up just short and will leave everyone to wonder what could have been with healthy group playing in Denver. In our final installment of Three up three down, let's take a look ... Read More
Steelers fumble away chance at upset against Broncos
In a season that will be remembered for what could have been, the Pittsburgh Steelers headed to Denver a touchdown underdog, facing a myriad of injuries and having plenty of excuses for coming up short against the top-seeded Broncos. Instead, the Steelers (11-7) clung to a one-point fourth-quarter lead before Broncos running back C.J. Anderson would score on a one-yard dive with just over two minutes remaining to help the Broncos (13-4) get a 23-16 win and advance to the AFC Championship game ... Read More