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Should Steelers stick with Justin Fields or turn to healthy Russell Wilson?
The Steelers (2-0) found a way to win yet another ugly game against the Denver Broncos (0-2) in Week 2.
The defense dominated once again while the offense did just enough to escape with a 13-6 win.
Pittsburgh has been winning with backup quarterback Justin Fields while Russell Wilson remains sidelined with a calf injury, but many are beginning to question whether the Steelers should stick with Fields as the full-time starter even when Wilson is healthy.
Through two games, Fields has thrown for 273 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 84 yards while not turning the football over. Those numbers don't jump off the stat sheet, but they could be better if it weren't for untimely penalties.
In Week 2, Fields connected with wide receiver George Pickens on a 50+ yard pass and a touchdown, but both were negated by penalties.
George Pickens with a 2-29-0 dud in the box score but:
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 16, 2024
-51 yard catch over Pat Surtain nullified on a hold
-6 yard TD nullified on OPI by Van Jefferson
-Drew a 37 yard DPI on Surtain pic.twitter.com/tOgvX2zRrp
However, the offense's consistency under Fields must be factored into the decision, too.
In the second half, the Steelers mustered just one field goal while Fields generated just 16 passing yards on eight attempts.
That isn't solely on the shoulders of Fields, but that is why there is a counterargument for Wilson to be the starter when he likely soon returns.
The 35-year-old hinted his comeback could soon be complete last week.
"Yeah, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer," Wilson said. "I'm just trying to be smart and got to do a lot of work today on the field and everything else, throwing and all that. So just trying to be smart."
Pittsburgh hasn't begun a season with back-to-back road victories since 1999, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. So that must be taken into account when deciding who will start in the team's home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) next Sunday.
Maybe one more week of Fields with hopefully a lot less penalties will provide some more insight on the situation. That would allow Wilson to get one more week to recover and give Fields one last chance to make his case as the full-time starter.
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Standout performances from Week 1 of NFL preseason: Rookie, backup QBs shine
The first week of the 2025 NFL preseason is officially in the books. Even though the games and results do not matter, there is still reason to pay attention to standout performances from around the league. Here are some of the best from this week's games. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots The Patriots need some game-changers on offense, and they may have found one in second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson. Henderson put on an immediate show in the Patriots' preseason opener, returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, rushing for 18 yards on his only carry and catching three passes. Skylar Thompson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers Thompson is not likely to make the Steelers roster, but that doesn't mean he can't find a spot on another team. Especially if he puts together a strong preseason performance. He did exactly that on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 20-of-28 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. With Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play in the preseason and Will Howard injured, Thompson should get plenty of reps to audition for other teams. Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia Eagles Following the offseason trade of Kenny Pickett, McKee is now pretty much cemented in as the Eagles' backup, and he had to give them a lot of confidence in his ability following his preseason performance against the Bengals. McKee torched the Bengals defense to the tune of 20-of-25 passing for 252 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It is a nice continuation for McKee following his promising debut a year ago when he threw for 323 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in his two appearances. Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams The Rams already have a starting running back in Kyren Williams, but there is nothing wrong with having a second productive player at the position. Corum didn't make the expected impact in his rookie season, but he had a promising preseason debut this year with two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie quarterbacks Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders got the week off to a promising start by throwing two touchdowns against Carolina, taking a big step forward in his quest to win the team's starting quarterback job and to silence the critics following his slide in the draft. Jaxson Dart, one of the Giants' first-round picks, also had a strong showing by going 12-of-19 with 154 yards and a very impressive touchdown pass. Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, also had a strong debut by leading a touchdown drive and developing an instant connection with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Abdul Carter, DE, New York Giants Carter did not play a ton of snaps for the Giants, but he was a force when he did play. He recorded a quarterback pressure on all three of his pass-rush snaps and showed the type of quickness and speed that made him one of the best players in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Cam Little, K, Jacksonville Jaguars Look, when you kick a 70-yard field goal, you deserve to get some added recognition, whether it counts as an official league record or not. Little made all four field goal attempts, as well as an extra point, in the Jaguars' preseason debut.
Rasmus Andersson Turns Down Huge Long-Term Offer from an NHL Team
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is entering the final year of his six-year, $4.55 million AAV contract, and uncertainty surrounds his future. Speaking with Sweden’s Expressen, Andersson shot down false rumors about where he’s willing to go, and revealed he turned down a lucrative long-term offer from another NHL team. All of this took place roughly six weeks ago, says the blueliner. He cited family reasons as to why he’s being particular about his next move. Still, as picky as he might be, rumors he’s only willing to go to Vegas are not true. “But I have not given Calgary a team, that I only want to play with one team,” he said. “That is not true…” He did get an offer from another team, likely not the Golden Knights. “I wasn’t keen on moving my family there and signing a long-term contract,” Andersson explained, adding that he provided the Flames with a list of teams he’d consider signing with if traded. However, the team that offered him a deal wasn’t on that list. He explained, “I communicated that decision to Calgary. I said if you want to trade me, this is the number of teams I can think of signing for. But this wasn’t one of them.” The Flames and Andersson Aren’t Talking Any Longer Talks with Calgary have since gone silent. Speculation is that he’s not heard about a trade option or extension in over a month. Whether the Flames have stopped looking for now, or teams haven’t lined up with trade offers, it sounds like nothing is imminent. All that said, Andersson is expected to draw significant trade interest before the 2026 deadline if an extension isn’t reached. His situation will be one of Calgary’s most closely watched storylines this season.
Kevin Durant Takes Subtle Shot At Stephen Curry; Reveals Why Warriors Fans Hate Him: 'They Will Never Recover'
Kevin Durant typically has no filter when interacting with fans online. But this time, while answering fan questions on X, Durant inadvertently ended up taking a shot at Stephen Curry. When a fan asked him why he thinks Warriors fans hate him, he seemingly pointed at Curry's fans. "Them finals MVPs, they will never recover," said Durant in response. One of the biggest debates for Stephen Curry's legacy had been that until 2022, he hadn't won a Finals MVP award despite winning three NBA championships before that. In 2015, Andre Iguodala received the Finals MVP award instead of Curry, and in 2017 and 2018, Kevin Durant was awarded the Finals MVP, and not Curry. Therefore, Durant seems to believe that since he won two Finals MVPs over Curry, loyal Warriors fans who love Curry started criticizing Durant. This planted the seed that developed into Warriors fans disliking Durant, despite him winning two titles with them. Let's take a look at Durant and Curry's performance in 2017 and 2018 to see if Durant was really better than Curry in those two seasons' Finals runs against the Cavaliers. In the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five games played. He shot 55.6% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the three-point line. In the same year, Curry averaged 26.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. In the 2018 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists as the Warriors swept the Cavaliers. He shot 52.6% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc. Meanwhile, Curry averaged 27.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the three-point line. In both seasons, it is evidently clear that Durant contributed a lot more than Curry in almost every aspect and hence was justified in being awarded the two Finals MVP awards. However, since Curry ended up not winning the Finals MVP award in four consecutive visits to the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, his fans unfairly blamed Kevin Durant for stealing the award from him. Curry and Durant have a lot of mutual respect, but his fans evidently drove Durant out of the Warriors. According to NBA Insider Marc Spears, the Warriors fans regularly gave Curry MVP chants, and that did not sit right with Durant until very late with the Warriors. Spears hinted that these chants made Durant feel like Warriors fans did not fully embrace him. If Warriors fans did not criticize Durant as much as they did, maybe Durant could have made a return to the Warriors now instead of joining the Rockets? The world of possibilities and "what-ifs" here is endless.
Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins: The good, the bad and the ugly
Most preseason game are ugly. You take a 90-man roster, mix it up and throw any 22 out on the field with pro experience levels of most players ranging from zero to a dozen games and it's not going to look pretty. For the Bears, add in a new coach, new systems and the fact that they didn't use almost all of their starters, and you have the makings of something no one would want to look at. It can get worse, too, and did. But there also were redeeming aspects to the Bears' preseason opening 24-24 tie. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly for the Bears' effort in their 2025 preseason opener, coach Ben Johnson's draw in his first head coaching experience. The Good The rookies They got 53 yards rushing on 13 carries from their two rookie backs, Kyle Monangai and Deion Hankins. They had the two longest Bears runs, a 13-yarder by Monangai and 12-yarder by Hankins. They also had a 4-yard TD catch by Hankins to go with nine catches by rookies total for 89 yards, including three for 41 and a TD by Jahdae Walker. That's 142 yards of offense and two TDs from rookie players, some drafted like Monangai with his 30 yards on six carries, and some undrafted like Hankins with his 23 yards on seven carries. The defensive front They held Dolphins rushers below 4.0 yards per carry while generating a pass rush that accounted for five of their six sacks. Dominique Robinson and Zacch Pickens added sacks to the three by Austin Booker a total of his that included a strip sack. This would be enough to satisfy any curmudgeon defensive coordinator but when you can push a team back 2 yards on second, third and fourth down from inside the 2-yard line, and get the goal-line stand from Noah Sewell, you've made a statement. But wait, there's more. They made the stand as backups and even some third-stringers against the Dolphins starters. A 67.0 Miami passer rating could be attributed largely to their front seven applying heat. Cairo Santos A 57-yard field goal into the wind stands out for any kicker except possibly Cam Little. Santos often gets tagged with having a weak leg even though set a franchise record last year by making 8-of-9 from 50 yards and out. Bears QBs Except for Tyson Bagent not seeing a wide-open Burden in the end zone on one pass play near the goal line, the Bears QBs had an efficient day combined with the spectacular. They had a 96.5 passer rating between the three. The 26 of 39 doesn't reach Ben Johnson's 70% goal but is a healthy 66.6%. The TD pass Bagent threw to Maurice Alexander and the TD thrown by Case Keenum to Jahdae Walker were on the money and actually in places where only they could make the catch. Jahdae Walker's end zone dance It was so much fun that Case Keenum said he was going to join in, and then realized who he was. The Bad Major Burns He suffered a major burn when he tried to step up and tackle Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the second quarter and completely whiffed, allowing the catch to go on for 35 yards and set up the second Dolphins TD. Not the kind of instinctive play you'd like to see from a safety candidate. Penalties The seven flags against the Bears for 41 yards is no reason to celebrate, although it sure beat the heck out o the 10 for 68 on Miami. Jordan McFadden what are you thinking? He had a false start penalty with 16 seconds left coming out of a timeout with the ball at the Miami 41 and the Bears needing only about 2 or 3 yards to be in field goal range to win it. Bears kick coverage Richard Hightower has some work to do. The Bears special teams coordinator couldn't be pleased with a 41-yard kick return by Dee Eskridge, a 38-yarder by AJ Henning and a 37-yarder by Erik Ezukcanma. Bears punt coverage But wait, there's more. Eskridge made a 16-yard punt return and Malik Washington had a 19-yard punt return. Bears punting But wait, there's still more. Punter Tory Taylor had a case of the lows. He was hitting line drives that were easily returned. He averaged 34 yards net. The ugly Th final score A 24-24 tie. As ugly as this is, it could be worse. Before 2021, they would have been playing overtime. No one wants an overtime preseason game. Larry Borom He got a presnap penalty for illegal formation on the first play from scrimmage for Miami. Sure this column is supposed to be reserved for Bears plays and not Miami's, but hey, for old time's sake. How many times have we seen that?
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