Joe Rutter stories, Page 29

Staring at a 2-6 record heading into their bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were well on their way to the first losing season since 2003 and, of course, in Mike Tomlin’s 16 years as head coach. It wasn’t a matter of whether the Steelers would be getting a top-10 pick...

Five things we learned from Steelers 16, Ravens 13: 1. Finishing kick Rushing for 1,000 yards isn’t the feat it used to be considering that it boils down to an average of 58 yards per game over an expanded 17-game season. In 2021, the first year of the 17-game schedule,...

BALTIMORE — All of the pieces are in place for the Pittsburgh Steelers to play a meaningful game on the final weekend of the regular season. After getting the requisite help outside M&T Bank Stadium, the Steelers kept their once infinitesimal playoff hopes chugging into Week 18 with their third...

With Myles Jack bothered by a groin injury and the Pittsburgh Steelers seeking an inside linebacker to stay on the field for every defensive snap the past two weeks, they did not turn to Devin Bush, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Instead, they turned to another...

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the year began with a victory lap of sorts and one final playoff appearance for Ben Roethlisberger. It ended with the Steelers breaking in a new quarterback and reeling from the sudden loss of one of the franchise’s all-time great players. Before he retired, Roethlisberger guided...

If Cameron Heyward looked like he was a man on a mission Saturday night in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s because, well, he was. On a night when the Pittsburgh Steelers were honoring the late Franco Harris by retiring his jersey number, Heyward wouldn’t accept anything...

A chance to stay alive in the playoff race could be at stake, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are heading on the road to face their bitter AFC North rival. It matters little to cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. They could be playing the Atlanta Falcons again for all he is concerned. “All...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, quarterback Kenny Pickett spent the last three quarters in concussion protocol while a series of interceptions and missed opportunities contributed to a 16-14 loss. The Steelers scored touchdowns in two of four red-zone opportunities, with one of Mitch Trubisky’s...

Snubbed from the Pro Bowl after a run of five consecutive seasons earning the honor, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward stated his case last week that he should have been included for a sixth time. Heyward was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance...

For the second time in five games, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett directed a fourth-quarter comeback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. When he led a 10-play, 76-yard drive Saturday that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens with 46 seconds left in a 13-10 victory against Las Vegas, it was...

Entering Week 17 of the NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain mathematically alive for a wild-card berth in the AFC playoffs, a concept that three weeks ago seemed about as unlikely as snow in July. Back-to-back wins have moved the Steelers within one game of .500, leaving them with a...

The way the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has played since the bye has mirrored the success of the team and the way it has staved off elimination in the AFC playoff picture. The defense held opponents to fewer than 310 yards just once in the first half of the season, a...

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are heading to prime time for their New Year’s Day matchup at M&T Bank Stadium. The NFL announced Sunday that the game has been flexed to 8:20 p.m. and will be televised by NBC. It originally was supposed to be played at 1 p.m....

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t need a deflected pass to beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night, but they did need some last-minute heroics to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. On the Immaculate Reception anniversary weekend, when Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris had his uniform number retired...

In an indication that starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds will be inactive with a hamstring injury, the Steelers promoted safety Elijan Riley from the practice squad Saturday, making him eligible to play tonight against the Las Vegas Raiders. Riley will appear in his second game with the Steelers this season....

Even though he is an NFL rookie, Kenny Pickett perhaps had a closer bond with Franco Harris than some of his older Pittsburgh Steelers teammates. In April, Harris stood at the podium at the NFL Draft and announced Pickett’s selection to the Steelers with the No. 20 overall pick. “One...

The threat of inclement weather Friday has forced the Pittsburgh Steelers to move a planned celebration of the Immaculate Reception 50th anniversary to inside Acrisure Stadium. Voted as the greatest play in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception ceremony was scheduled to be held outside Stage AE on West General Robinson...

Saying they are “truly heartbroken,” the family of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris released a statement Thursday, their first public comments since his passing a day earlier. Harris, 72, died in his sleep. His death happened two days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception...

The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum has canceled its public event Thursday honoring Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris following his death Wednesday. The program, entitled “Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception: 50 Years Later” was set to take place at 6:30 p.m. The sports museum said ticket holders will receive further...

Joe Greene dreamed of welcoming his good friend Saturday into the small fraternity of Pittsburgh Steelers players who have had their numbers retired by the franchise. Then, Greene was awakened Wednesday morning to the news that Pro Football Hall of Fame contemporary Franco Harris had died in his sleep. Harris,...

If fans were hoping Mike Tomlin would criticize Marcus Allen at his weekly news conference Tuesday, they came away disappointed. Tomlin declined to discuss specifics about Allen’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty between the third and fourth quarters Sunday in the Steelers’ 24-16 win at Carolina. He also wouldn’t talk about personal...

Mike Tomlin joked Tuesday that he was sitting in section 135 at Three Rivers Stadium on Dec. 23, 1972, when running back Franco Harris caught a ball above his shoe top and ran for a 60-yard touchdown to complete what has been voted the greatest play in NFL history. In...

Barring a late setback, quarterback Kenny Pickett will return to practice Wednesday and start for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night against the Las Vegas Raiders at Acrisure Stadium. Pickett did not play last Sunday in the Steelers’ 24-16 win at Carolina while dealing with concussion symptoms. He was limited...