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The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a weird, pretty unpredictable spot. They are fighting for their playoff lives in the last week of the regular season in 2023, with Mason Rudolph leading the charge. Rudolph has had the highest passer rating in the NFL this season amongst qualified quarterbacks. Granted, he has only started two games. However, he has played better than anyone could have expected.
Steelers' Mason Rudolph Reveals How He Likes To Mess With TJ Watt
The surging new starting quarterback for the Steelers joked around during his press conference on Tuesday, and revealed how he likes to mess with superstar, TJ Watt. Rudolph hasn't had the best career with the Steelers, but he has been around the organization for a while. He was drafted in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft and is playing in his sixth season in Pittsburgh. Since Rudolph is one of the longer-tenured Steelers, he has built some great relationships around the organization. One of these great relationships is with Watt, who was drafted just one season before Rudolph. The two have spent the last six years together, and their closeness is described perfectly in this story told by Rudolph during his press conference.
"Sometimes in the parking lot, like on a off day, he'll be a little fool and he'll park kind of out there at the end of a row kind of on the median. And so, I sent a picture to Derek [Watt] and I said, 'Guy signs a big contract and he's parking wherever he wants to now.' But yeah, just stuff like that because I know it re ally hurts him deep down because he is a perfectionist. But outside of that, he doesn't really do a whole lot wrong."
It's nice to hear how good of chemistry the Steelers players have regardless of where they stand on the team. Up until two weeks ago, Rudolph was the team's emergency quarterback who barely got any reps during practice. Despite that, he still was close enough with the team's best player to make fun of him to one of his siblings. Derek Watt played fullback for the Steelers from 2020 through 2022, so he was also close with Rudolph.
Both Rudolph and Watt have had quite an interesting last couple of weeks. The Steelers are on a two-game win streak, Rudolph has played exceptionally, and Watt was just named the Steelers team MVP for the fourth-consecutive year. Watt has had a great season, which was expected from a player of his cali ber. He is firmly near the top of the race for the NFL's Defensive Player Of The Year Award as he has 17 sacks on the year, a touchdown, an interception, four forced fumbles and 60 total tackles.
Rudolph, on the other hand, has out-performed everyone's expectations. He wasn't even supposed to see the field for the Steelers in 2023, yet here he is preparing for Week 18 in what will be his third start of the season. The Steelers are 2-0 in games started by Rudolph in 2023, and he has looked spectacular as he has thrown for 567 yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. Many Steelers fans were skeptical to see that Rudolph would be starting due to his time starting for the team back in 2019 and other spot starts throughout his career, but he has been a pleasant surprise.
Rudolph and the Steelers will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 of the 2023 season, and the game is a must-win if the Steelers want to have a shot at making the postseason. In order to clinch a spot as the seventh-seed, the Steelers will need to win in Baltimore, and hope for a loss by either the Buffalo Bills or the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are other scenarios in which the Steelers can clinch a playoff spot, but those are the most realistic.
More must-reads:
- Browns GM makes wild statement on team's quarterback situation
- Browns HC, Shedeur Sanders clear air on controversial benching during two-minute drill
- The '2024-25 NFL rushing touchdown leaders' quiz
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Angry Mike Vrabel vows to find 'rats' within Patriots organization who leaked major news
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
Phillies get terrible injury news on ace starting pitcher
The Philadelphia Phillies received the update they did not want to hear on Saturday. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. He will have surgery to correct the issue with a recovery time of six to eight months. There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Phillies — this is brutal news and a potentially crushing blow to their World Series chances in the National League. While they still have a strong rotation and two excellent front-line starters in Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, Wheeler is their unquestioned ace and has been one of the best overall pitchers in the National League since he joined the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. The Phillies are still pretty much a playoff lock at this point and entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But taking a front-line starter away from them this late in the season is going to be impossible to replace. With Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez, they would have had a fierce trio to throw at teams in a short series (or a best-of-seven series) that could have stacked up with anybody. Sanchez and Suarez are still going to give them a great chance, but it's definitely not what they wanted. Prior to Saturday's announcement, Wheeler had a 2.71 ERA and was leading the league in both strikeouts (195) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.7) pitched. He also has the lowest WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) in the league (.935).
Big Ten's College Football Playoff expansion idea is 'absurd,' ESPN host says
Rece Davis doesn't want to see the College Football Playoff expand to two dozen or more participants. The longtime host of ESPN's "College GameDay" said on Saturday, per On3's Nick Schultz, that the Big Ten Conference's idea being floated around that could grow the CFP to 24 or 28 teams is "absurd." Davis made his comments on ESPN just before No. 17 Kansas State and No. 22 Iowa State were set to battle in the opener of the 2025 college football season from Aviva Stadium in Dublin. According to a recent report by ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Big Ten's idea is in the early stages of being discussed. This proposal would eliminate conference title games and offer a sizable number of automatic bids to the four power conferences. "I’m just going to say this flat-out: I don’t believe they’re serious about this,” Davis said on "College Football Countdown," per Schultz. "I believe this is like when you go to sell your house, and you say, 'I’m going to ask $1 million more than I’m willing to settle for.' They’re trying to get something back on the other side because on its face, this is absurd. It’s absurd, on its face. So they have to be looking for something else. That’s my guess." CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello reported on Aug. 18, citing sources, that the Big Ten's CFP expansion idea isn't off to a great start and has caught stakeholders off guard. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti recently floated the two expansion models to athletic directors in that conference, per Marcello. The Southeastern Conference, the other dominant league in college football, was later informed. Others conferences weren't told about the idea until reports leaked out, according to Marcello. A CFP executive said to CBS Sports, "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall." Per Thamel, in the 28-team model, the Big Ten and the SEC would each command seven automatic bids, while the ACC and the Big 12 would both get five. There would then be two auto bids for non-power-four conferences and also two at-large teams. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, there will be a 12-team CFP. The event also had 12 participants last season, with Ohio State winning, and before that, four teams. Over the past year or so, stakeholders have discussed potentially expanding the CFP to 16 participants. However, an agreement hasn't been reached due to different conferences wanting a different number of automatic bids versus at-large teams, according to Thamel.
Kansas State HC defends controversial fourth-down call, blames field conditions in Ireland
Unexpected slugger challenging Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP
This season, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is on the cusp of two ultra-rare feats. In MLB history, Barry Bonds is the only player to win three straight MVP awards — he won four consecutively — and he is also the only player to win more than three in his career, as he won seven total. If Ohtani can manage another MVP season this year, he will have won his third straight and his fourth total, joining two separate clubs consisting of just one other player, though Bonds sits alone in two higher clubs of his own creation. But in Ohtani’s quest to make history, there is one surprising slugger standing in the way. When we think of Philadelphia Phillies power-hitter Kyle Schwarber, second-deck home runs are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Truth be told, Schwarber has never really hit for average. His career batting average stands at .232, and his career-high average of any season is .266. Still, this has never prevented him getting on base at a high rate. Typically, players who aren’t well-rounded in all major metrics don’t see as much consideration for MVP honors. However, the NL MVP race seems to be coming down to Ohtani and Schwarber. This season, there aren’t many players excelling at hitting for both power and average. Currently, there are no hitters in the NL with a home-run total of at least 30 and a batting average of at least .290. This leaves an opening for Schwarber, who received MVP votes every year for the past three years, peaking at 15th in the voting. Below are Ohtani and Schwarber’s 2025 stats and their NL rankings in each: In most major stats, both these stars sit at or close to the top. And the fact that Ohtani’s stats lag far behind last year’s blowout performance only works to Schwarber’s advantage. Even Schwarber’s success rate in stealing bases is higher than Ohtani’s this year — and Schwarber’s sprint speed is in the mere 14th percentile. But is Schwarber really the frontrunner for NL MVP? Although Schwarber is having an incredible year, his numbers fall short of Ohtani’s. With 34 games left, there is still time to close the gap, but there is one other aspect of Schwarber’s game that makes his intriguing MVP case just slightly doubtful: He is primarily a DH. There has only been one primary DH win an MVP, and that was Ohtani last season. This season, the Dodgers’ two-way star is both a DH and a pitcher. But that raises yet another question. Ohtani returned to the mound on June 16, having missed over an entire year (in terms of pitching) due to an elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery. Since his return, Ohtani owns a lackluster 4.61 ERA in 10 starts. The Dodgers have been cautious with Ohtani, who is yet to have an outing that lasted at least 4.2 innings, and it isn't clear if Ohtani will be able to return to form before the season is over. Whether or not this will hurt his MVP case remains to be seen, but it surely won’t help unless he can improve. Pitching aside, Ohtani is the current MVP frontrunner. But to say that Schwarber is far behind would be an exaggeration.
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