Steelers top Lamar-less Ravens 17-10, will make the playoffs if Buffalo or Jacksonville loses
Mason Rudolph threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson on the first play of the fourth quarter, and the Pittsburgh Steelers took a step toward the postseason with a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Steelers keep playoff hopes alive into Week 18 with 30-23 win over Seahawks
Najee Harris rushed for a season-high 122 yards and bullied his way into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept their playoff hopes alive into Week 18 with a 30-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Defending Super Bowl champion Rams open season as underdogs
Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams will raise their Super Bowl banner Thursday night before kicking off the NFL season at home where they became the second straight team to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy in their own stadium.
Chiefs take playoff experience into Sunday night vs Steelers
The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs, Tyreek Hill was a wide-eyed rookie wide receiver, Chris Jones was learning the ropes at defensive tackle and Travis Kelce was just becoming one of the NFL's best tight ends.
Steelers, Roethlisberger agree to new deal for 2021 season
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, late Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Don Wright)PITTSBURGH โ Ben Roethlisberger is returning for an 18th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is taking a pay cut to do it. Financial details were not immediately available, though the Steelers made no secret of the need for Roethlisberger to take a pay cut to ease some of the burden of his NFL-high $41.25-million salary-cap hit scheduled for 2021. NFL Network, citing anonymous sources, said Roethlisberger's new deal will essentially pay him $14 million this season and adds four voidable years to spread out the dead money. โWe know that Ben can still play at a high level and do special things for this team,โ Colbert said.
The Latest: Big West hoops tournaments banning spectators
(AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Big West Conference will hold its menโs and womenโs basketball tournaments without spectators, including family and guests of the teams. The Big Westโs board of directors decided to start the season without fans in attendance. AdPelicans officials say they are hoping to allow as many as 4,000 fans per game later this season. The Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers have been permitted to have a limited number of fans at games during the pandemic. AdThe governor said about 1,700 to 1,800 fans should be allowed to attend Devils games under the new rules.
More interviews didnโt equal more minority hirings in NFL
(AP Photo)The NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them. The Houston Texans hired David Culley this week, making the 65-year-old longtime assistant the leagueโs third Black head coach hired. Culley and Saleh join Pittsburghโs Mike Tomlin, Miamiโs Brian Flores and Washingtonโs Ron Rivera as the leagueโs only minority head coaches. โWe didnโt make as much progress on the head coaching side as we would have liked,โ Rooney said. AdPerhaps an increase in minority executives will lead to more minority head coaches.
AP source: New Lions coach Campbell gets 6-year deal
FILE - This is a 2016 file photo showing Dan Campbell of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team. The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with Dan Campbell to be their coach. (AP Photo/File)The Detroit Lions landed the coach they coveted from the start of their search by hiring Dan Campbell. Philadelphia and Houston, meanwhile, still have an opening for a head coach. Patricia, a former New England defensive coordinator, was 13-29-1 in two-plus seasons as a first-time NFL head coach.
Jets make hiring of Robert Saleh as head coach official
FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is shown during an NFL football game against Arizona Cardinals, in Santa Clara, Calif., in this Sept. 13, 2020, file photo. The search for a new coach continues for the New York Jets after they completed an in-person interview with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, without apparently reaching a deal. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)NEW YORK โ Robert Saleh left no doubt for the New York Jets that he was their guy. The team officially announced Tuesday they hired the former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator as their head coach after agreeing to terms last Thursday. Saleh is believed to be the third Arab American to become a head coach in the NFL.
Dearborn native Robert Salehโs hiring by Jets source of pride for Muslim Americans
FILE - San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is shown during an NFL football game against Arizona Cardinals, in Santa Clara, Calif., in this Sept. 13, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)NEW YORK โ Robert Saleh has made history that extends far beyond any football field. That's a source of great pride for a group that has been generally underrepresented in the league's on-field leadership roles. He was a popular candidate among the seven teams looking for a new coach this offseason, and quickly emerged as the favorite for the Jets job. โRobert Saleh has made history on the field and off,โ New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Friday night.
Column: Smith-Schuster fires up foes through jigs and digs
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)Say this about Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster: he sure knows how to fire up foes through jigs and digs alike. He said he thought โtheyโre still the same Browns teams I play every yearโ and while they had talent, โthe Browns is the Browns." The Browns snapped their 17-game losing streak at Heinz Field with their first road playoff win since 1969. โThat turns you up a little bit,โ Buffalo safety Jordan Power said after the Billsโ 26-15 win over Pittsburgh in Week 14. โFor the betterment of myself and my teammates, Iโm going to stop dancing on the logos,โ Smith-Schuster declared after that loss to Cincinnati.
Same old Browns? Hardly. Cleveland drills Steelers 48-37
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrates as he walks off the field following a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. The Cleveland Browns overcame all of it. The Browns dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the wild-card round Sunday night, picking up the franchiseโs first postseason victory in more than a quarter-century and earning a trip to Kansas City next Sunday to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. The kick bounced into the end zone for a touchback and Mayfield calmly took Cleveland 80 yards in six plays. So much for the Browns being the Browns, a winking assessment Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster made about Cleveland in the middle of the week.
Mahomes leads champion Chiefs to 14-2 mark in stacked AFC
While the Chiefs get another weekโs rest, the six other AFC playoff teams get going this weekend. For just the second time since the 1970 league merger, every team in the AFC playoffs has at least 11 wins. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 54, 31-20 over the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 2, 2020, at Miami. Last Lombardi: Super Bowl 43, 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1, 2009, at Tampa, Florida. Their pass rush is nearly nonexistent with 19 sacks, the fewest by a playoff team since Denver had 19 in 1979.
Browns end long playoff drought, survive late Steelers rally
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield celebrates after the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Cleveland. The Browns, winless just three seasons ago and so bad for so long, are in the playoffs. The Browns and their passionate fan base endured 197 losses, 14 double-digit-loss seasons and seven coaches since the last playoff appearance. For the moment he got to Cleveland in 2018, Landry's goal was to get the Browns back to the postseason. Steelers: Will be back at full strength for their first playoff appearance since the 2017 season.
Steelers to sit Roethlisberger for finale against Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) passes against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Don Wright)PITTSBURGH โ The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to let Ben Roethlisberger rest up for the playoffs. Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Roethlisberger will not play when the AFC North champion Steelers (12-3) visit rival Cleveland (10-5) in the regular-season finale on Sunday. The Browns drilled the Steelers 21-7 on Nov. 14, 2019, a game in which Rudolph threw four interceptions. Garrett's first game against the Steelers this season was uneventful, a 38-7 Pittsburgh win on Oct. 18 in which Rudolph actually came on in mop-up duty of Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter.
Steelers rally past Colts to end skid, lock up AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) makes a catch past Indianapolis Colts cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (26) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Pittsburgh. And even as the Steelers spent the first half against Indianapolis seemingly in a full-out sprint to get to the offseason as quickly as possible. It revived Pittsburgh's floundering season and delivered the Steelers the AFC North title. The defense kept Philip Rivers, rookie running back Jonathan Taylor and Indianapolis out of the end zone in the second half. โWhen we had everything to play for, we just didnโt have all the answers in the second half of a game we had to have.
NFL won't be cutting in line for coronavirus vaccine
(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)The NFL wonโt be cutting in line to get the coronavirus vaccine. โNo one should be thinking about the vaccine going anywhere other than our first responders and the most vulnerable people right now,โ said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association. โThe rollout of the vaccine is going to be driven by public health concerns and what medical and government officials determine to be the most efficacious for risk reduction across society as a whole. The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history got underway Monday with health workers rolling up their sleeves for the first shots on the same day the nationโs COVID-19 death toll hit a staggering 300,000. High-risk health care workers and some nursing home residents were among the first in line for the shots that could finally conquer the outbreak that has upended life across the globe.
Bills improve to 10-3 with 26-15 win over sloppy Steelers
(AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes )ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. โ Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and safety Taron Johnson returned an interception 51 yards for a score in the Buffalo Bills' 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. You come to play with a little extra fire.โSmith-Schuster and the Steelers weren't asked about what happened following the game. The Steelers also finished with 47 yards rushing despite the return of James Conner, who missed the past two games on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The game was decided midway through the fourth quarter after Buffaloโs Tyler Bass hit a 23-yard field goal to put the Bills up 26-15. Roethlisberger finished 21 of 37 for 187 yards with touchdown passes to Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster and two interceptions.
Surprise! Washington ends Pittsburgh's perfect season 23-17
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington (13) celebrates with JuJu Smith-Schuster after scoring on a 50-yard pass play during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team in Pittsburgh, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)PITTSBURGH โ The Pittsburgh Steelers spent three months shaking off whatever 2020 threw at them. pointing out time and again the only thing perfect about them was their record. Washington won the Super Bowl that season. The Bills beat the Steelers โ minus Roethlisberger โ 17-10 at Heinz Field last December to lock up a playoff berth.
Unbeaten Steelers focusing on Washington, not perfection
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) tries to fend off Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tramon Williams after making a catch during the second half of an NFL football game Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Pittsburgh. So forgive the Pittsburgh Steelers if they're not exactly caught up in the hype โ or maybe lack of hype โ surrounding their perfect start. Yes, the Steelers are unbeaten. โEvery week is a test,โ Rivera said. โIt really is about feel and opportunity as far as those things are concerned," Rivera said.
Worth the wait: Steelers keep top spot in AP Pro32 poll
NEW YORK โ For the Pittsburgh Steelers, getting to 11-0 was worth the wait. The Steelers maintained their top spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll. 1 seed.โThe Chiefs remained at No. The AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills remained at No. The Rams will head to Arizona and face the Cardinals in a key game in the NFC playoff race.
Steelers overcome rust, short-handed Ravens to move to 11-0
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell (24) runs away from Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker L.J. So while the Steelers stayed perfect with a disjointed 19-14 win over the undermanned Ravens in the first NFL game on a Wednesday in eight years, their play was anything but. โTo be bluntly honest, Iโm really disappointed in our performance tonight,โ he said after Pittsburgh improved to 11-0. But the Steelers were able to drain the clock behind a third-down grab by James Washington, eliminating the Ravens from repeating as AFC North champions. โThe way the game went, obviously we wanted to win,โ Griffin said.