Joe Rutter stories, Page 46

Since he got into coaching in 1990, Keith Butler estimated he never missed one of his team’s games until Sunday. A positive covid test and an inability to clear protocols in time led to Butler remaining in Pittsburgh while the Steelers traveled to Baltimore with their season hanging in the...

Right guard Trai Turner has more playoff experience than the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers starting offensive linemen combined. Only backup guard/tackle Joe Haeg can match Turner’s six games of playoff experience. Haeg earned a Super Bowl ring with Tampa Bay last year while Turner lost his Super Bowl appearance...

Since the Pittsburgh Steelers lost by 26 points when they played the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 26, they won back-to-back games to scratch out the last spot in the AFC playoffs. Apparently those victories against Cleveland and Baltimore put them in the upper echelon of the conference. At least...

The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers entered the playoffs as the lowest-seeded team in the AFC, they won in the wild-card round in 2015. The time before that, Steelers won three in a row on the road and then earned a “One for the Thumb” ring by beating Seattle in...

Based on what transpired three weeks ago at Arrowhead Stadium, there isn’t much reason for the Pittsburgh Steelers to be optimistic as they return this weekend for a playoff matchup against the No. 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs. • In that game, they didn’t score a touchdown in the first...

Mike Tomlin wasn’t awake at the moment the Pittsburgh Steelers officially qualified for the AFC playoffs. Tomlin didn’t see Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson’s 47-yard field goal as time expired in overtime Sunday night that lifted the Raiders to a 35-32 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. The field goal...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take a defense that finished last in stopping the run and No. 24 overall into the wild-card round against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Of the NFL’s 14 playoffs teams, only the Chiefs, coincidentally, have allowed more yards per game than the Steelers. They finished...

Gathered with a few teammates, Ray-Ray McCloud settled in to watch the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers play Sunday night, knowing a win by either team would stamp the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trip to the postseason. The only outcome that would ruin the Steelers’ chances was a tie, and...

BALTIMORE — Ben Roethlisberger had a feeling his NFL career wouldn’t end Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. And it didn’t. The night before Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 16-13 overtime victory against the Baltimore Ravens that put them in the AFC playoffs, he told his father that it didn’t...

BALTIMORE — The result on the out-of-town scoreboard was favorable for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was nothing compared to what transpired on a rainy, cold day inside M&T Bank Stadium. With their postseason aspirations hanging in the balance, the Steelers got a 36-yard field goal from Chris Boswell in overtime...

Kevin Colbert’s tenure as Pittsburgh Steelers general manager could be winding down. NFL Network reported Sunday that Colbert, the long-time general manager who has been in charge of the organization’s football operations since 2000, will retire when his contract expires after the 2022 NFL Draft. The Steelers will conclude their...

Two Pittsburgh Steelers players returned from the reserve/covid list Saturday, and another was added. Cornerback Joe Haden and center Kendrick Green were activated to the active roster, the team announced. But taking their place on the list is wide receiver James Washington, whose inclusion rules him out from playing Sunday...

The New York Times website features a playoff simulator that is billed as an interactive calculator designed to allow fans to explore each NFL team’s chances of making the postseason. The numbers don’t quite compute for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who face a 9% chance of extending their season beyond Sunday....

Najee Harris believes all rookies enter the NFL with expectations, and he’s no exception. And as he prepares to finish a season in which he leads all first-year running backs in virtually every statistical category, one would think he exceeded any realistic goals. Harris, though, quit caring about personal success...

Diontae Johnson is back on track to start Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers. One day after he was placed on the reserve/covid list, Johnson cleared protocols and was activated to the 53-man roster. Johnson is having a career year in his third NFL season. Heading into the season finale Sunday...

The Pittsburgh Steelers likely will be without their most prolific wide receiver and rookie center when they face the Baltimore Ravens in the season finale Sunday. Diontae Johnson and Kendrick Green were placed on the reserve/covid list Thursday, putting their inclusion against the Ravens in jeopardy. Even with the NFL’s...

Ben Roethlisberger allowed himself one more chance to look back at what he called a “magical” night at Heinz Field before he looked ahead to unfinished business for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On his day off Tuesday, Roethlisberger continued to soak in the reception he received a night earlier when he...

Five things we learned from Steelers 26, Browns 14: 1. By the numbers Some things to digest as Ben Roethlisberger prepares to exit the NFL after 18 seasons: • His 248 games in the regular season rank sixth on the all-time list among quarterbacks and are third with one franchise....

With the pomp and circumstance surrounding Ben Roethlisberger’s farewell game at Heinz Field in the books, Mike Tomlin is challenged by making sure his Pittsburgh Steelers players don’t have an emotional letdown in their regular-season finale. After Roethlisberger and the Steelers pulled out a 26-14 victory Monday night against the...

The 26-14 victory against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night not only kept the Pittsburgh Steelers alive for a playoff berth, it guaranteed coach Mike Tomlin another season without a losing record. The Steelers have finished .500 or better in each of Tomlin’s 15 years. They take an 8-7-1 record...

Ben Roethlisberger overcame an uneven performance to write a storybook finish to his likely final game at Heinz Field, and the Pittsburgh Steelers avoided elimination from the AFC playoffs Monday night with a 26-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Greeted by “Let’s Go Ben” chants throughout the game and a...

Ben Roethlisberger had a new center snapping the ball for his final game at Heinz Field. Rookie Kendrick Green did not start for the first time this season because of a calf injury, paving the way for J.C. Hassenauer to take his place at center for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game...

A path to the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Steelers includes winning their season finale. And some prayers. The only way for the Steelers to qualify for the postseason for the second year in a row, after they beat the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, is to win in Baltimore in...

When examining a career that has spanned 18 seasons, 123 home games and 11 more in the postseason, coming up with a definitive list of Ben Roethlisberger’s top moments at Heinz Field is like picking the finalists in a Miss America pageant. There are plenty of worthy contenders, and it’s...

Inside linebacker play is crucial for stopping the run, and finding two consistent defenders has been a problem the entire season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Monday night, when they face the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers will be trying to find two healthy players to man the position. Devin Bush...