Tomlin Gives Insight on Young Receivers James Washington; Eli Rogers

PITTSBURGH (GSM) — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster left practice with a groin injury this week. He intends on playing against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, despite being listed as questionable.

In head coach Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference, Brian Cook asked about two young wideouts who could also be worked into the mix this weekend, after their performance on Dec. 16 against the New England Patriots.

Steelers Face Jaguars on the Road

Line of scrimmage in the 2017 AFC Divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars. January 14, 2018 at Heinz Field. (Brian Cook / Golden Sky Media)

PITTSBURGH (GSM) – The Steelers and Jaguars meet for the third time within a year.

In the 2007 season Pittsburgh lost the regular season game 30-9 and the AFC Divisional playoff game 45-42. Both games took place at Heinz Field.  Sunday, the two teams meet again, this time at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shake hands. (Brian Cook / Golden Sky Media)

The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the all-time series 14-11-0.

From the Pittsburgh Steelers:

A LOOK AT THE COACHES
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Overall regular-season record: 122-62-1 (.662)/12th season
Regular-season record with Pittsburgh: 122-62-1 (.662)/12th season
Playoff Record/Years: 8-7 (.533)/eight years

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Doug Marrone
Overall regular-season record: 29-30 (.492)/fi fth season
Regular-season record with Jacksonville: 14-13 (.519)/third season
Playoff Record/Years: 2-1 (.667)/one year

 

Steelers Have Convincing Win Against Panthers

Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH (GSM) – The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Carolina Panthers 52-21 on Thursday Night Football. This was highest amount of points any one team has scored at Heinz Field.

In a one-sided game, Pittsburgh had 7 different players score touchdowns in the game. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected on a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of their opening drive. Also finding the endzone were Vance McDonald, James Conner, Antonio Brown, Jesse James and Jaylen Samuels.

Steelers tight end Jesse James scores on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the 52-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. November 8, 2018 (Brian Cook / Golden Sky Media)

Roethlisberger was perfect from the pocket as he secured a 158.3 passing percentage. The best in his career.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (Brian Cook / Golden Sky Media)

The Steelers have Jaguars and Broncos on the road before they return to Heinz Field on December 2 to face the Chargers.

 

Steelers Defeat Ravens on the Road; Thrilled About Position Moving Forward

Steelers running back James Conner had 107 rushing yards; 56 yards receiving including one touchdown in the 23-16 win against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018. (Brian Cook / Golden Sky Media)

BALTIMORE (GSM) – It was a win on the road in a short week.

The Steelers are on a 4-game winning streak after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 23-13 at M&T Bank Stadium, Sunday. It was an AFC North win that keeps them in the catbird seat atop the division. Now with a record of 5-2-1 running back James Conner, referenced the last time these two organizations met. The Steelers came up short when they played on September 30. The score was 26-14. He acknowledged that it was imperative to get out of the gate early. “Last time we played them, we had some turnovers early and some penalties.” Conner said. “[We tried] to do the opposite of that and start out fast.”

Linebacker Bud Dupree had a half-sack in the game and says now that playing divisional opponents are almost complete 9-weeks into the season, there is still a lot of ahead of them. “It’s going to be a long ride again. It was great that we became at the top of the division after this game. We have one more, it’s Bengals again. I’m glad we played everyone (AFC North opponents) at the beginning of the season. Now we can just focus on other conference games and dominate those as well.”

Defensive back Mike Hilton says racking up victories against divisional opponents are key especially against the likes of Baltimore, as they move down the stretch. However, the immediate game plan now centers around the short turnaround. “It was big,” Hilton said “Especially on the road against a team like Baltimore. Everybody knows how big the rivalry is. It was a big win for us and now we have to get ready for the quick turnaround for Thursday.”

With only a few days off, the Steelers gear up to host the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field who are on the prowl as well. Their overall record is 6-2, and are coming off of a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The score was 42-28. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was 19 for 25 in the passing game with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which contributed significantly to his team’s victory.

The Panthers are currently in second place in the NFC South, 1-game behind the New Orleans Saints (7-1).

The Steelers and Panthers met in the pre-season however the speed of this game will include the starters in mid-season form which can guarantee a physical matchup.