By Will Graves The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Mason Rudolph isn’t afraid to admit his mind would drift toward the future as the seasons passed and he remained at the bottom of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart. “You have confidence in yourself as a player,” the longtime ...
PITTSBURGH — So much for the Cincinnati Bengals’ season being over the second Joe Burrow tore a ligament in his right wrist last month. Not with backup quarterback Jake Browning improving by the week. Not with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s defense creating game-shifting takeaways with remarkable frequency. Not with Zac Taylor’s team heeding his advice about getting better as the season progresses, no matter who is in the lineup. “We’ve talked a lot about how we have to be our strongest in December and January,” Taylor said. “Reflecting back over the last couple ...
Records: Cincinnati (8-6); Pittsburgh (7-7) Kickoff: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., NBC Opening line: Bengals by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook Against the spread: Bengals 6-7-1; Steelers 7-7 Series record: Steelers lead 69-39 Last meeting: Steelers beat Bengals 16-10 on Nov. 26 in Cincinnati Last week: Bengals beat Vikings 27-24 (OT), Steelers lost to Colts 30-13 Bengals offense: OVERALL (21), RUSH (31), PASS (13), SCORING (14) Bengals defense: OVERALL (30), RUSH (28), PASS (27), SCORING (20) Steelers offense: OVERALL (27), RUSH (16), PASS (28), SCORING (28) Steelers ...
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believes second-year wide receiver George Pickens’ growth off the field remains a work in progress but will not bench Pickens on Saturday when Cincinnati visits. Pickens has drawn scrutiny outside the organization for his lack of hustle of late, particularly in a loss to Indianapolis last weekend in which replays caught him declining to block downfield for teammate Jaylen Warren and jogging after an Indianapolis interception rather than attempting to make a tackle. Pickens dismissed the criticism, saying it’s coming from people ...
By Will Graves The Associated Press PITTSBURGH — For a guy who’s played in all of 18 games across six seasons, Mason Rudolph has been through a lot. Like, a lot a lot. A franchise quarterback who didn’t exactly welcome him to the Pittsburgh Steelers with open arms after the club selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft. Being caught in the middle of an ugly helmet-swinging incident with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett in 2019 that remains one of the darkest chapters in recent NFL history. Getting benched for an undrafted rookie free agent. Finishing a distant ...
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens hears the outside criticism about his hustle. More specifically his lack of hustle. He could not care less. “The people that are questioning my effort, they don’t play football,” Pickens told reporters Tuesday. “They do what y’all do.” Pickens has come under scrutiny of late, even from coach Mike Tomlin, for questionable decision-making at times. The latest examples came during Pittsburgh’s 30-13 loss to Indianapolis on Saturday. The second-year player neglected to block downfield on a run by teammate ...
