We are somehow at ground zero while simultaneously being on grounds walked before for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh has lost five of its last seven, sparking yet another collapse in the back half of the season – I’ll be doing a piece on the history of collapses over the last two decades, so keep an eye out for that.
Pittsburg, PA
Syracuse men’s basketball: predictions and poll vs Pittsburgh
The Syracuse Orange (11-5, 2-3) travel to face the Pittsburgh Panthers (10-6, 1-4) tonight at the Peterson Events Center. The game tips at 7:00 on ESPN. Syracuse rallied in the second half for a victory the last time these teams met; here’s what we predict in round two.
Kevin: Syracuse 74, Pittsburgh 72
The Orange were able to survive the first meeting thanks to some poor foul-shooting from the Panthers. To get this road win, they will need to do a better job on the defensive boards, but I expect to see more minutes from Quadir Copeland who was the catalyst in the first game. Syracuse negated the Panthers’ size advantage by picking up the defensive intensity and it will be turnovers that allow them to steal one in the Steel City.
Mike: Syracuse 80, Pittsburgh 71
SU responded well after losing games at Virginia and Duke, so I expect the same to happen here. The roughest stretch in the conference schedule is almost over and if the Orange can put on a strong performance here, it will calm some doubts from their last defeat and also set them up to go on a nice run with three straight home games against middle-tier ACC squads. Look for Maliq Brown to get back to his hot streak and break through the Panthers’ interior.
Finn: Syracuse 72, Pittsburgh 69
Both teams come into this matchup with similar fortunes. Since the ‘Cuse win in the Dome, both teams have been massively outplayed with each picking up losses against both Duke and UNC. Pitt has scored only 65 points on average across the last three games, and Cuse’s conviction when bouncing back from losses give me reason to believe the Orange have the upper hand. If Syracuse is able to get their creators involved and make some shots early, I expect a narrow win.
Szuba: Syracuse 74, Pittsburgh 71
Taking Pittsburgh at home would be appealing but I’ll go with Syracuse given the Panthers have lost three of its last four and Blake Hinson has struggled in those losses. Carlton Carrington should play well, but Ishmael Leggett has been limited since suffering a shoulder injury in the first meeting at Syracuse. Without a bruising big man, this is a game that will benefit Brown at center. Syracuse gets its done behind Judah Mintz and another strong game from Copeland.
Dom: Pittsburgh 75, Syracuse 70
Looks like I’m going to be the one that zags here. Like most of the Nunes staff, I totally have belief in Autry’s ability to reenergize his team after a tough loss (most recently, the Orange’s win over BC after the blowout loss to Duke). That trend has been a constant all year, but Syracuse is coming off its worst loss of the season and faces one of the toughest road environments in the ACC. If Syracuse can’t win the turnover battle, it’s hard to see a realistic path to pull this one off.
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Now it’s your turn
Poll
Who wins the game between Syracuse and Pittsburgh?
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Syracuse wins and the Orange head home feeling good
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Pittsburgh wins and the Orange head home feeling nervous
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In the meantime, though, let’s get through what will be a very brief edition of Varsity and JV.
Echols had a terrific first quarter. He read the screen to Khalil Shakir on the first drive perfectly (even if the pass was incomplete) and picked off Josh Allen to end the Bills’ first drive. He also had two pass deflections on the night.
Herbig had two tackles for loss and was in on the fumble by James Cook recovered by Patrick Queen.
EDGE T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith
Zero sacks on backup tackles. Good thing the Steelers made sure Watt made more money than Myles Garrett for him to not even be half as good as the Browns’ star. As for Highsmith, he’s constantly injured and isn’t as good as Herbig. If the Steelers do finally rip the band-aid off this offseason, Watt and Highsmith should both be traded.
The Bills ran for 249 yards, which is the most in the history of Acrisure Stadium. James Cook took the first play from scrimmage for an 18-yard gain, and that set the tone for the evening. Mina Kimes of ESPN posted a screenshot that summarized the game of Ray Davis having a two-lane highway to run through.
Who played well offensively? Kenneth Gainwell made a pretty nice one-handed catch, but that’s the only notable offensive play that comes to mind. The receiving corps is worse than it was in 2024, DK Metcalf couldn’t separate a yolk from an eggshell, and the Steelers totaled just 166 yards of offense. Additionally, Aaron Rodgers and the pass-catchers never being on the same page is taking a big toll on the offense.
Rudolph went 0-for-3 and threw an interception that had as much hang time as a punt. Hopefully that ends any cries from the portion of the fanbase begging to see Rudolph “get a shot.” Nice guy, solid backup, but he’s not a starting NFL quarterback.
Smith is far down the list of the biggest problems with the Steelers, but Sunday was brutal. A bad play call inside the red zone to run on 4th-and-short that killed a scoring chance. Pittsburgh couldn’t run the ball against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers completed less than 50 percent of his passes. The offense was awful from top to bottom.
He is the worst defensive coordinator in football. There is a reason he was fired by both the Lions and didn’t last a season with the Bengals. He’s not a capable defensive coordinator, and the case for that claim gets stronger by the week.
This needs to be the end. He can’t be back in 2026. The scheme is stale, the message is falling on deaf ears, and everyone looks checked out. In a season where the AFC North was begging the Steelers to win it, Tomlin missed the dunk.
The fans are the ones who suffer more than anyone. Mediocre season after mediocre season. Collapse after collapse no matter who is the offensive coordinator or quarterback. And guess what? It’ll probably be more of the same next season because Art Rooney’s fear of life after Mike Tomlin is greater than his desire for a winning football team. The fans deserve better, and hopefully real changes will be made in the offseason.
Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh-area group trying to break the world record for largest Christmas cookie exchange
It was a potentially historic afternoon for Pittsburgh cookie table lovers as members of a Facebook community gathered to try and break the world record for the largest Christmas cookie exchange.
The “Wedding Cookie Table Community” group on Facebook made their best effort at breaking the world record as many of the community’s members gathered at the Kringle Kitchen at the Washington County Fairgrounds on Sunday.
33 teams of 10 people from within a 75-mile radius of the fairgrounds worked to make and exchange the sweet treats along with teams from across the country and even New Zealand taking part in the Christmas cookie spirit.
Event organizers say at least 80,000 cookies were at Sunday’s exchange.
Each team had their own theme along with all of their tasty creations on display.
“We hope to establish a world record,” said Laura Magone, the founder of the Wedding Cookie Table Community group.” Right now, there is not one, but I think we’ll establish one today. We’re doing everything we can with the paperwork and trying to do it right.”
It’s unclear right now exactly when information will be released if the world record was reached.
Pittsburg, PA
Kyle Dubas or Corey O’Connor? Penguins social media team posts funny video to clear up the confusion
If you have confused Pittsburgh’s Mayor-Elect Corey O’Connor and Penguins President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas, you certainly aren’t alone.
On Saturday, the Penguins and Pittsburgh’s next mayor addressed this head-on in a social media video aimed at clearing up any confusion.
“People say I look like the new mayor of Pittsburgh,” Dubas said on his way to his office, where he found O’Connor sitting at his desk.
“People say I look like the general manager of the Penguins,” O’Connor responded.
Clearing up the confusion even more, Dubas reminded Pittsburghers that he’s not the one you call about potholes or taxes, and O’Connor isn’t the one who you call about the power play or who’s starting in goal – though that would likely be more of a Dan Muse decision than a Kyle Dubas decision.
Of course, it wouldn’t be social media content without a little bit of light-hearted chirping between two dopplegangers.
“For clarity, he’s the short one,” Dubas said with a grin.
“And clearly, he’s the tall one,” O’Connor responded.
Regardless of height, job title, or concern, both men clearly have a lot of pride in the 412.
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