Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Offensive Line Sees No Change In PFF Rankings
File this one under the category of not making much sense. Despite leading a rushing attack that grinded out 202 yards in Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line remained the No. 18 ranked unit in the NFL ahead of Week 18 in Pro Football Focus’ rankings.
It seems as if the Steelers line got dinged for its work in pass protection, as PFF had the unit as the fifth-worst offensive line in the league when it came to pass-blocking efficiency. Pittsburgh allowed 12 pressures on 26 drop backs, but Mason Rudolph was only sacked one time and did a good job hanging in the pocket. PFF also dinged center Mason Cole, who had just a 48.5 overall grade and a 48.6 grade in the run game. PFF has Cole down for a negative grade on 75 run plays, second-most among NFL centers.
Cole hasn’t had the best season, but he’s improved a little bit blocking-wise in the second half of the season after being a mess earlier this season. However, the progress has been tempered by his struggles snapping the ball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a new starting center is high on Pittsburgh’s priority list this offseason.
Isaac Seumalo was credited with a positive grade on seven run plays against Seattle, the fourth-highest among any guard in Week 17. But only Seumalo and Broderick Jones earned respectable run-blocking grades against Seattle, which is a bit of a surprise given just how well Pittsburgh ran the ball. But really, all that matters is the Steelers played well, ran well, and won. I don’t think anyone is concerned about grades after the performance the Steelers just had.
The Ravens’ offensive line didn’t move up or down after their blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, as they remain the third-best offensive line in the NFL. Kevin Zeitler missed the Week 17 performance, and while he was an estimated limited participant on Tuesday for Baltimore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they hold him out again with the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs already clinched. Ben Cleveland replaced him last week and earned a 70.0 overall grade. The Ravens rotated their offensive tackles, as both Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele saw snaps last week. They could see more this week with the Ravens potentially wanting to rest Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses.
Either way, the Ravens have a talented offensive line, but the Steelers had success getting to the quarterback against Baltimore in Week Five. If they can replicate that success, they have a good shot of winning on Saturday.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night kicks off the holiday season
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The holiday season began in Pittsburgh on Saturday night with the city’s popular Light Up Night event.
Thousands crowded Downtown streets to ring in the holidays.
The iconic Highmark Christmas tree was lit along with trees at the City-County Building and PPG Place. A new light show on the Sister Bridges was also unveiled.
“It’s just a magical time of the year,” said Nicole Ambrogio.
She brought her kids to see the Highmark tree lit up.
“It almost gives you that Times Square-like feeling,” said Melissa Iaquinta. “It was amazing. The fireworks are always an added touch, and it’s beautiful.”
Vendors also filled Market Square, along with caroling and drumming.
“This is my first Light Up Night. It’s honestly amazing. I love all the music,” said Pietro Pucci. “It’s really magical; it’s like a winter wonderland come to life.”
Pittsburg, PA
Allegheny County Fire Marshal investigating deadly house fire in Homestead
HOMESTEAD, Pa. (KDKA) — One man has died after a house caught fire in Homestead on Saturday.
Allegheny County 911 was notified of a fire in the 100 block of West 12th Avenue just before 11:30 a.m.
First responders found an elderly man trapped inside the second floor of the residence. Firefighters were able to get the man out of the home, and he was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, according to a news release from the Allegheny County Police Department.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause and origin of the fire.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
Pittsburg, PA
Analyst Blasts Steelers’ Mike Tomlin After Browns Loss
The Pittsburgh Steelers let their guard down in Week 12, dropping a divisional trap game to the now 3-8 Cleveland Browns in the snow.
The Steelers had no business losing to Cleveland, at least on paper, and there’s plenty of finger-pointing to go around. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo chose to shift the blame onto head coach Mike Tomlin during an interview with 93.7 The Fan’s Donny Chedrick on Friday morning, stating that his decisions didn’t age well as the contest went on.
“I think hands down, it was the coaching,” Fittipaldo said. “And I’m sure we’re gonna get into some of the personnel decisions and some of those fourth down calls, but I thought overall Mike Tomlin showed the Browns a lack of disrespect early in the game.”
Cleveland’s final drive of the night alone encapsulated what was a subpar night for Tomlin. On 3rd-and-2 from the Steelers’ 25-yard line, he decided to accept an illegal touching penalty on offensive lineman Ethan Pocic that pushed the Browns back five yards for a redo instead of making it 4th-and-2.
Despite the fact that Pittsburgh was in front 19-17 at the time, all indications pointed to Cleveland keeping its offense on the field instead of sending out the kicking unit given the weather. Had Tomlin declined the penalty, a stop on fourth down would have all but sealed a win.
Instead, Jameis Winston found Jerry Jeudy for a 15-yard completion and a first down. Tomlin also burned his second timeout with the clock stopped before the Browns moved the chains, which put Pittsburgh’s offense in a disadvantageous position on its ill-fated closing possession.
Nick Chubb went on to punch the ball into the end zone, putting Cleveland up for good with 57 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Tomlin is an irreplacable part of the Steelers’ organization and is the driving force behind their success year in and year out, but Thursday night was a definite low point for him.
Pittsburgh still sits atop the AFC North with an 8-3 record, however, and can wash away any bad feelings emanating from the loss with a bounce back performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
-
Business1 week ago
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science4 days ago
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics6 days ago
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Technology6 days ago
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle7 days ago
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World6 days ago
Protesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
News6 days ago
They disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
News6 days ago
Gaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick