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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Ben Roethlisberger Vows To Return

December 25th, 2019 at 1:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Ben Roethlisberger brings Steelers fans good tidings and great news for the holidays. After wishing Merry Christmas to his followers, Roethlisberger vowed to return to the field in 2020. 

[RELATED: NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17]

“Contrary to recent reports out there about my football future and my ‘uncertainty’ about playing again, I am working hard and am more determined than ever to come back stronger and better than ever next year!,” Roethlisberger tweeted.

At one point, there were rumblings that the QB had some doubts about playing again. But, earlier this week, ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen heard the Steelers are confident that Roethlisberger will make a full recovery.

Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges held down the fort for the Steelers this year, with mixed results. Rudolph’s shoulder injury landed him on IR earlier this week, so the Steelers will be hitching their playoff hopes to Duck’s wagon in their Week 17 matchup against the Ravens.

Roethlisberger was sharp in 2018 with career-highs in completions (452), pass attempts (675), passing yards (5,129), and touchdowns (34). He also started in all 16 games, something he hadn’t done since the 2014 campaign. On the other hand, he led the NFL with 16 interceptions.

NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17

December 25th, 2019 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The final week of the regular season is upon us.

Here’s the official rundown of NFL playoff scenarios as we get set for Week 17:

AFC

Clinched:

Ravens – AFC North division & home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs

Texans – AFC South division

Chiefs – AFC West division

Patriots – AFC East division

Bills – playoff berth

Chiefs clinch a first-round bye with:

Chiefs win + Patriots loss

New England clinches a first-round bye with:

Patriots win or tie OR
Chiefs loss or tie

Raiders clinch a playoff berth with:

Raiders win + Steelers loss + Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers*

*Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers if ONE of the following teams win or tie:

Bears, Lions, Chargers, or Patriots

Steelers clinch a playoff berth with:

Steelers win + Titans loss or tie OR
Steelers tie + Titans loss OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders loss or tie OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Steelers tie Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*

*Steelers ties Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:

Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Dolphins

Titans clinch a playoff berth with:

Titans win OR
Titans tie + Steelers loss or tie OR
Steelers loss + Colts loss or tie

NFC

Clinched:

Packers – NFC North division

Saints – NFC South division

Vikings — playoff berth

49ers — playoff berth

Seahawks — playoff berth

Cowboys clinch NFC East division with:

Cowboys win + Eagles loss

Packers clinch a first-round bye with:

Packers win OR
Saints loss OR
Packers tie + San Francisco loss OR
Packers tie + Saints tie

Packers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Packers win + San Francisco loss or tie OR
Packers tie +San Francisco loss + Saints loss or tie

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (at Carolina (5-10); 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Saints clinch a first-round bye with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie OR
Saints win + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie +Packers loss OR
Saints tie + 49ers loss OR
49ers loss +Packers win or tie

Saints clinch homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Saints win + Packers loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie + Packers loss + 49ers loss

Eagles clinch NFC East division with:

Eagles win or tie OR
Cowboys loss or tie

49ers clinch NFC West division title with:

49ers win or tie

49ers clinch a first-round bye with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie OR
49ers tie + Saints loss or tie

49ers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie + Saints loss or tie

Seahawks clinch NFC West division with:

Seahawks win

Seahawks clinch a first-round bye with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss

Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:

Seahawks win + Packers loss + Saints loss

Steelers Place Mason Rudolph On IR

December 24th, 2019 at 9:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have placed quarterback Mason Rudolph on injured reserve, per a club announcement. To fill his roster spot, they promoted center J.C. Hassenauer from the practice squad.

Rudolph took over for Devlin Hodges in last week’s game against the Jets and took them from a 10-0 deficit to a 10-10 tie. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him out of the game, and the Steelers went on to lose 16-10.

Without Rudolph, the Steelers will forge ahead with Devlin Hodges as their starter against the Ravens. Rudolph’s season ends with a 5-3 record in eight starts and 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Rudolph had his moments as Ben Roethlisberger‘s fill-in this year, but he also had a rocky stretch that resulted in getting leapfrogged by Duck.

Hodges and Paxton Lynch will serve as the only QBs on the roster for Week 17 as the Steelers fight for a wild card spot. There are a few scenarios that could put the Steelers in the playoffs, but the simplest one is this – if the Steelers win and the Titans lose, they’re in.

Steelers Believe Ben Roethlisberger Will Make Full Recovery

December 23rd, 2019 at 5:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers believe quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will make a full recovery from his elbow surgery, ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter) hears. Big Ben went under the knife on Sept. 23 to reattach three tendons in his right arm, but team doctors seem to think that he’ll be good to go in 2020.

Although the veteran has not been cleared to resume throwing, Roethlisberger is trending in that direction. The Steelers, meanwhile, are keeping their fingers crossed, since Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges haven’t been consistent in his stead.

Roethlisberger, 38 in March, recently inked a lucrative contract extension that will should him under club control through 2021. At the time, GM Kevin Colbert said that the contract would likely be Big Ben’s last.

“What [Roethlisberger] wants is more Super Bowls. And he wants to continue to try to win, and we’re gonna support that,” Colbert said. “And that was a big part of why we were willing to do what we did, and now it’s our job to help him help us get there.”

Big Ben has earned six Pro Bowl nods in his 16-year career. Without him for most of the season, the Steelers have still managed an 8-7 record, setting them up for a do-or-die Week 17 game against the Ravens. A Steelers win coupled with a Titans loss to the Texans would give them a Wild Card berth and a shot at another ring.

Mason Rudolph Out At Least Several Weeks, Won’t Start In Playoffs

December 23rd, 2019 at 1:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Right after the Mason Rudolph redemption arc started, it was immediately put to rest. The Steelers quarterback is “out multiple weeks” with the shoulder injury he suffered during Pittsburgh’s loss to the Jets, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Rapoport adds that even if Pittsburgh makes it into the postseason, “Rudolph is not expected to be available.” That means Devlin Hodges will be the starter in Week 17 against the Ravens, and potentially in a playoff game. Pittsburgh needs to beat Baltimore, and to have Tennessee either tie or lose to Houston, to get the final wild card spot in the AFC. Rudolph, a third-round pick in 2018, immediately took over under center when Ben Roethlisberger first went down all the way back at the beginning of the season.

He missed a game with a concussion and Hodges performed reasonably well, and when Rudolph struggled mightily upon returning, he was quickly benched for Hodges. After an initial honeymoon period Hodges began to turn the ball over frequently as well, and he was pulled against New York. Rudolph provided an initial spark and was playing well, before going down with the shoulder injury.

Former first-round Broncos bust Paxton Lynch is also on the roster, and will back up Hodges. It sure would be something if he manages to find his way onto the field. Fortunately for their cause, it looks like the Ravens are going to be resting a lot of their starters in Week 17. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Steelers, and this is just the latest turn in a wild sequence of events.

Injury Updates: Ingram, Haskins, Murray

December 22nd, 2019 at 9:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are the key injuries which we’ve seen some reporting on:

  • The Ravens officially clinched the top seed in the AFC with their win over the Browns on Sunday, but Baltimore fans were left holding their breath when running back Mark Ingram went down with a calf injury. Head coach John Harbaugh told reporters after the game there’s no structural damage, but a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Ingram suffered a calf strain (Twitter link). Ingram was wearing a walking boot after a game, via a tweet from Josina Anderson of ESPN. Harbaugh was trying to sound optimistic, but calf strains can linger. Fortunately for Baltimore, he’ll have Week 17 and a first-round bye to rest.
  • Dwayne Haskins has been getting a lot better recently, so it was unfortunate to see him go down with an ankle injury during the Redskins’ loss to the Giants. Interestingly, Haskins said after the game that he lobbied to return, but owner Dan Snyder personally told him not to go back in, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Normally it’d be unusual for an owner to be consulting directly with a player during a game, but this is the Redskins we’re talking about. Washington is in line for the second overall pick right now, and they could opt to be conservative and sit Haskins in Week 17.
  • Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Kyler Murray was also knocked out on Sunday with a hamstring injury. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters after the game he wasn’t sure if Murray would be able to play in Week 17 against the Rams. Murray had a large wrap on his hamstring and if it was bad enough to knock him out immediately he could be up against it to play next week. Brett Hundley, who finished off Arizona’s upset win over the Seahawks, would start next week if he isn’t ready.
  • One last quarterback update, as Mason Rudolph was sidelined with a shoulder injury shortly after being reinserted for a benched Devlin Hodges. The Steelers’ quarterback situation is an absolute mess right now as they prepare for a must-win game against the Ravens. Hodges came back in for Rudolph, and resumed struggling. Rudolph provided an instant spark after relieving Hodges, so he’ll almost certainly start against Baltimore if he’s healthy. Rudolph was seen leaving the stadium with his arm in a sling, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).
  • The Titans can clinch a playoff berth with a Week 17 win over the Texans, and fortunately they’ll be getting a boost to their offense. Running back Derrick Henry was inactive for their loss to the Saints on Sunday, but he is expected to play against Houston, a source told Schefter (Twitter link). Henry has been dealing with a hamstring issue.
  • The winner of the Week 17 game between the 49ers and Seahawks will determine who wins the NFC West and in turn hosts a playoff game, and both sides are banged up. San Francisco pass-rusher Dee Ford has missed most of the last month with a hamstring injury and he’s not expected to play against Seattle, a source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. They gave up a second-round pick to land Ford this offseason, then signed him to a massive extension, and he’s been a bit of a disappointment. Fortunately for the 49ers, the Seahawks are dealing with even more significant health issues.

Steelers Waive DB Kameron Kelly

December 20th, 2019 at 12:24pm CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers have waived defensive back Kameron Kelly, the team announced. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reported earlier today that Kelly was arrested in the early morning hours on Friday on two counts of terroristic threats and one count of resisting arrest.

Per the criminal complaint, police were called to Mario’s South Side Saloon in Pittsburgh when a man, identified as Kelly, was being disorderly. Police told him he had to leave, and he then became confrontational (he had already physically threatened an employee when his music choice was skipped over on the jukebox). Outside the venue, the arresting officer accidentally stepped on the foot of a woman, which angered Kelly. Kelly said the woman was “his girl” and pushed his chest against the officer’s and threatened him. Kelly then resisted arrest and was punched in the face several times by an officer. He was treated for a busted lip at a nearby hospital and then taken to jail.

Kelly, 23, signed with the Cowboys as a UDFA following the 2018 draft. The San Diego State product was cut prior to the start of training camp and later caught on with the San Diego Fleet of the now-defunct AAF. Kelly signed with the Steelers in April, shortly after the AAF shut down.

He played in every defensive snap for Pittsburgh in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Patriots, but he has only been used on special teams since the middle of the season (though he did record the first interception of his career against Lamar Jackson in the Steelers’ Week 5 loss to the Ravens).

In a corresponding move, the Steelers have promoted safety Marcus Allen from the practice squad.

XFL Commissioner On Manziel, Kaepernick

December 19th, 2019 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

The XFL is still weeks away from its relaunch, but Vince McMahon’s second try at professional football has already come under fire for its refusal to allow players to leave for the NFL. In an interview with Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times, commissioner Oliver Luck made it clear that the policy won’t change anytime soon. 

“If there’s one thing we learned from watching the Alliance it was that quarterback play is critical,” Luck said. “In the game of football today — whether it’s pro, college or even high school arguably — your quarterback play is determinative. So we made an effort to sign guys, some of whom played in the AAF but the vast majority didn’t.”

The league’s policy already prevented Josh Johnson from joining the Lions back in November. Critics felt that the XFL should have allowed the veteran to go to Detroit, but Luck & Co. held him to his commitment with the Los Angeles Wildcats.

“We said, ‘No, we’re keeping him. He ours. He signed a contract. He’s committed to us,’” Luck said. “Once a player signs a contract — once he passes his physical and signs a contract — then he’s under contract with us. We won’t release that player to the NFL until after our season. We need certainty. We can’t just have guys peeling off.”

Luck also disclosed that the Steelers inquired on Landry Jones and Phillip Walker after Ben Roethlisberger‘s injury. The XFL, of course, turned down both requests.

While the XFL protects its own signal callers, they won’t go chasing the two biggest names on the open market. Luck sounded less than enthusiastic about the possibility of Johnny Manziel and Colin Kaepernick joining the fledgling league.

“Johnny has his own history, and we have coaches from the CFL who have seen him close up,” Luck said when asked about Johnny Football. “He was in the draft pool. Coaches and scouts looked at him and didn’t think he was going to help their team. I think the guys we have on our teams are the best 560 that aren’t playing in the National Football League.”

As for Kaepernick, Luck characterized his “salary demands” as being “way out of [the XFL’s] ballpark.” As a result, he was “never really a viable option,” for the league.

Steelers Sticking With Duck Hodges

December 18th, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Steelers announced they are sticking with Devlin Hodges against the Jets, despite his four-interception performance. Hodges has posted a 38.4 QBR figure, which betters Mason Rudolph‘s league-worst 31.9 mark. The Steelers have not thrown for 200 yards in their past five games.
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