Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 38 - Number 5 i Steelers Digest

The new Browns did the old Browns a big favor. When Week 17 of the 2025 NFL regular season began, the Steelers had two separate paths to winning the AFC North Division and earning the home playoff game during Wildcard Weekend that comes with that. Get some help from the Packers on Saturday, or take care of business themselves on Sunday. On Saturday, the Packers lost to the Ravens in Lambeau Field, which kept alive Baltimore’s playoff hopes, the franchise that was the old Browns before Art Modell moved the team in 1996. And then on Sunday, the new Browns, who filled the NFL void in Cleveland starting in 1999, finished the job by defeating the Steelers, 13-6, in Huntington Bank Field. As a result, the Steelers and Ravens square…

It was a game in which the Steelers badly needed a spark. Trailing the Cleveland Browns 10-0, Aaron Rodgers lined up in shotgun formation on third-and-1, when suddenly tight end Connor Heyward motioned under center. Heyward quickly took the snap and rolled right with running back Jaylen Warren trailing, in case Heyward optioned to pitch. But Heyward cut up with the ball and Warren passed him to block two Browns defenders and spring Heyward for a 29-yard gain and a first down at the Cleveland 22. In viewing the replay, TV analyst Tony Romo enthusiastically described Heyward’s jaunt down the right sideline that finished with “a nice, cool jump at the end,” Romo said, before adding, “for absolutely no reason.” At the time, there was reason for a hop, skip,…

Alex Highsmith understands the impact he can have in the community. He knows the platform he has been entrusted with to touch the lives of others. And he has taken advantage of it, making a significant difference in the communities that matter the most to him. Through the Alex Highsmith Family Foundation, he has opened his arms and his heart to three places that are important to him – Pittsburgh, his hometown of Wilmington, N.C., and Charlotte, N.C., where he played college football. He uses his work in his foundation to empower the next generation through fitness, education and community. And that is why Highsmith is the Steelers Club Winner for the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide. Every team selects a player as…

The From the notebook of a sportswriter who expected to re-watch the film of Browns 13, Steelers 6 and count the tragic and countless instances of A.) the lack of an outside playmaker, and B.) a poor performance by Aaron Rodgers. • I saw neither. • Upon the review, I’m really not so sure Metcalf would’ve made a difference. Not with Denzel Ward playing this week after sitting out their last game with an injury. • Of course, Metcalf usually works the other side of the field, but I was very impressed with the other Browns cornerback, Tyson Campbell. I thought he was their Player of the Game. • There was one play that maybe Metcalf would’ve hit early in the game, the one in which Marquez Valdes-Scantling had Campbell…

It fell short of historic by any definition of the word. But given the quality of the opponent and their particular circumstances on Dec. 21 at Ford Field, it bordered on heroic in what ended in a 29-24 victory. A little more than 4 months ago now during the dog days of another training camp at Saint Vincent College, Coach Mike Tomlin uttered the word “historic” while talking about his defense in an interview with the DVE Morning Show that has been misinterpreted ever since as a prediction when it really was a challenge to the group of players the Steelers had assembled and paid handsomely on that side of the ball during a very busy offseason. Then the regular season began, and “historic” became an epithet thrown in their…

Very often, the outcome of these Steelers-Ravens battle royales come down to things that cannot be measured in traditional ways but are integral in determining which team walks off the field as the victor. Patrick Queen made that kind of a contribution to the Steelers in their 27-22 victory at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. With 4:29 remaining in the game and the Steelers working to protect their 5-point lead, Queen went down with an injury and limped off the field and into the medical tent on the sideline. Queen is the guy on defense wearing the green dot, which means he gets the call from the sideline; and he plays inside linebacker, a position that already had lost Malik Harrison to injury earlier in the game. That meant the…

They are among the names you think of when you talk about Steelers football. They are legends who were part of Steelers Super Bowl seasons, with two of them part of the same championship team. And now, they are members of the Steelers Hall of Honor Class of 2025. Linebacker Joey Porter Sr., center Maurkice Pouncey and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger all made a huge impact on the organization and complete a class that brought plenty of glory to the black and gold. The Class of 2025 was officially enshrined during a dinner on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium, and will be honored during Monday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins. It was an opportunity for old friends to gather together and share stories of their playing days and catch up…

For the 25th consecutive season the Steelers are sending multiple players to the Pro Bowl Games, and it’s the 34th time in the last 37 seasons they are doing so. Three players will represent the black and gold as safety Jalen Ramsey, special teams ace Ben Skowronek and linebacker T.J. Watt were voted to the Pro Bowl Games. Ramsey, who was acquired by the Steelers via a trade with the Miami Dolphins this year, was selected to the Pro Bowl Games for the eighth time in his career after making the move to free safety when the Steelers were hit hard with injuries and has thrived. And it comes as no surprise to many. During training camp Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl had nothing but amazing things to say about…

This was why the Steelers brought Aaron Rodgers here — to play in games like this one. Or more accurately, to play like he did in games like this one. On Dec. 7, M&T Bank Stadium served as the site for the 65th installment of Steelers-Ravens since Art Modell kidnapped the Browns and moved them to Baltimore after the 1996 season following a snit with the city of Cleveland over a new stadium. In the previous 64 meetings between these teams, 40 of them had been 1-score games, and 1 of them – the 2008 AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh – was so breathtakingly violent as to become the impetus for the NFL’s player safety initiatives. Anyway, this installment was another of those 1-score outcomes, with the Steelers coming away…

During a time when it’s about giving and not receiving, the Steelers are doing just that, spreading joy and kindness to many in the community. The Steelers hosted the seventh annual Huddle for the Holidays at Acrisure Stadium, an evening filled with outreach for many community organizations in the Western Pennsylvania area. That was just the start of it. Steelers players also did their part, hosting their own events to give of their time and hearts to others. Coach Mike Tomlin hosted his annual holiday food distribution in conjunction with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, giving back to those most in need during the holidays. He was joined by defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and Sports Science Coordinator/Strength and Conditioning Coach Roderick Moore, as they handed out turkeys and all…