Joe Rutter stories, Page 17

Five things we learned from Jaguars 20, Steelers 10: 1. Matter of perspective An optimist would say that, despite their lackluster performance against Jacksonville, the Steelers remain tied for second place in the AFC North. A pessimist would counter that the Steelers, in fact, are tied for last. Both are...

Three days of recuperation isn’t enough time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back on the field for their game Thursday night. It could be sufficient, however, for quarterback Kenny Pickett. On Monday, a day after coach Mike Tomlin watched both players exit with injuries in...

The weather conditions were sloppy, and so was the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. Not exactly the recipe for another fourth-quarter comeback. Kenny Pickett was unavailable to dial up some more late-game heroics because of sore ribs, and Mitch Trubisky wasn’t up to the task in his absence. And so it was...

James Harrison gave the menacing scowl that was a trademark from his playing days. A reporter had the nerve Sunday to ask the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker if he was expecting to be inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Honor so soon after his playing career had concluded. Harrison’s last...

Behind a young quarterback, talented wide receivers, first-round running back and a sturdy 3-4 defense, this team playing at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday has compiled one of the NFL’s top records since the middle of last season. It even has a recent playoff victory on its resume. Until that last...

As his role in the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary increases, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. patiently is waiting to make his first NFL start. Given the right set of circumstances, it could come as soon as Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Starting left cornerback Levi Wallace is dealing with a foot injury...

Cameron Heyward is back on the practice field for the Pittsburgh Steelers, meaning his return to the active roster should come within the next three weeks. Heyward, who had surgery to repair a groin tear after the season opener, remains on injured reserve, but he began practicing Thursday for the...

Through five-and-a-half games — or 22 quarters — the Pittsburgh Steelers were still searching for their first rushing touchdown. In the span of 30 minutes Sunday, they got three, all the touchdowns they produced at SoFi Stadium in a 24-17 victory against the Los Angeles Rams. Kenny Pickett started it...

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In his return from injured reserve, Diontae Johnson wanted to provide a spark for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. He made several important plays in the Steelers’ 24-17 victory Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, with two coming in the decisive fourth quarter. On the...

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Off to another customary slow start, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense extended its slumber through three quarters Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium. That’s when the wake-up alarm finally went off against the Los Angeles Rams. Just in time, as it turned out. The Steelers dominated the Rams in...

By the time the Pittsburgh Steelers walk off the field Sunday at SoFi Stadium, they could be in sole possession of first place in their division. They also could be tied for last. Such is the state of the tightly bunched AFC North where, one-third of the way through the...

At the outset of the week, the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they were getting tight end Pat Freiermuth back for their game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. On Saturday, they made a decision that will keep him out of the lineup for at least another four games. The Steelers placed...

Before he left Pittsburgh to enjoy his bye weekend in Atlanta, Najee Harris sat down to watch film of the Steelers running game through the first five weeks. He had a similar routine last year when he presented his findings to offensive coordinator Matt Canada. This time, Harris wasn’t alone....

When he lines up behind center, surveys the defense and sees Aaron Donald glaring menacingly back at him on Sunday afternoon, Kenny Pickett won’t be as awestruck as the first time he encountered one of the NFL’s most decorated defensive linemen. That came in 2017 after Pickett had graduated high...

The play on which Diontae Johnson injured his hamstring in the season opener is one the Pittsburgh Steelers have been missing in his absence. Johnson caught a pass from Kenny Pickett 5 yards downfield, then he turned it into a 26-yard gain by juking his way down the field before...

Just because Dan Moore Jr. took first-team reps in practice Monday doesn’t necessarily mean he will regain his starting left tackle job when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Coach Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to proclaim Moore as the starter, a position he held for two-plus...

Before Joey Porter Jr.’s interception that changed momentum last Sunday and led to the go-ahead touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kwon Alexander set the stage with a play that put the Baltimore Ravens in that passing situation. Alexander’s open-field tackle on tight end Mark Andrews resulted in a 1-yard loss...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers return from their bye and face the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday, quarterback Kenny Pickett will make his 18th career start. That’s one more than what constitutes an NFL season, which was expanded in 2021. Given that mile marker in Pickett’s nascent career, it seemed like...

On the day the Pittsburgh Steelers invited Irish kicking instructor Tadhg Leader and two of his students to attend their game against the Baltimore Ravens, he watched Australian Brad Wing handle the punting duties. Leader envisions the day when he can watch the Steelers turn to someone from his home...

George Pickens accelerated to a speed of 20.48 mph on his 41-yard touchdown reception Sunday that led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. Next Gen Stats, the NFL’s statistical arm, didn’t calculate how fast Broderick Jones ran after the play, but the 311-pound rookie left...

Kenny Pickett has gotten rave reviews for the way he changed the protection at the line of scrimmage Sunday before he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens that provided the go-ahead points in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t the first time in...

Fans clamoring for Joey Porter Jr. to start at cornerback in the wake of his second-half showing against the Baltimore Ravens might be in for a letdown when the Pittsburgh Steelers return from their bye. Despite Porter’s interception in the end zone that changed momentum and set up the winning...

Through the first five weeks of the season, Kenny Pickett has watched his pass-catching options fall like leaves from a tree in October. He saw Diontae Johnson exit in a season-opening loss to San Francisco and land on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. In a Week 4 loss at...

It was a game the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to win if they wanted to take some positivity into their bye week. They ultimately did, although it was difficult at times to fathom how exactly they exited Acrisure Stadium on Sunday with a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. Outplayed for...