The Steelers this week will focus on their Sunday night game against the Baltimore Ravens rather than on their playoff chances, according to coach Mike Tomlin. At his weekly news conference yesterday, Tomlin reflected on the Christmas Eve win over the Raiders and looked ahead to New Year’s night in Baltimore. If either the Jets or the Dolphins win on Sunday, Pittsburgh is eliminated from the playoffs, and they will know before they take the field what those two teams did in their games. The Dolphins play the Patriots and the Jets take on the Seahawks in Seattle.
Tomlin says for the Steelers to beat the Ravens in Baltimore, they need to be on their game from the opening kickoff.
Tomlin says the offense sputtered for most of the game last Saturday but finally put things together on the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.
The coach says the Ravens wear their opponents down through the course of a game, so the Steelers will have to be sharp.
Special teams ace Marcus Allen’s season is over after he had biceps surgery on Monday. Allen was placed on injured reserve and the Steelers yesterday signed linebacker Tae Crowder from the New York Giants’ practice squad. They also re-signed safety Scott Nelson to their own practice squad.
NFL
On his Let’s Go! podcast yesterday, Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady says he’s going to take his time before deciding whether to retire. He retired after last season but reversed that decision and came back for a 23rd season. Meanwhile, another future Hall of Famer, Arizona’s JJ Watt announced he is retiring after this season. The brother of the Steelers’ TJ and Derek Watt posted pictures with his wife and new child, saying it was his son’s first game and his last home game ever.
The NFL reduced the penalties announced against the Rams’ Oday Aboushi and the Broncos’ Randy Gregory after the two fought on the field after Sunday’s game. Rather than both being suspended a game, Gregory was hit with a $50,000 fine and Aboushi was given a $12,000 fine.
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