Thursday night football arrives tonight to kick off Week Three of the NFL season with the Steelers visiting the Browns in Cleveland, and with clearly defined problems for the Steelers on both offense and defense.
Criticism of the offense after Sunday’s loss to New England centered on the play-calling of offensive coordinator Larry Canada and the decision-making of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who acknowledges that he needs to look down the field more in the passing game.
Trubisky says he has weapons on the outside and he needs to use them, particularly wide receivers Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and one training camp sensation he has failed to target, rookie George Pickens.
The Steelers defense will be tested by the Browns’ run game, spearheaded by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Defensive end Cam Heyward says that in the past, they’ve been able to stop the ground game against the Browns because they have played well up front.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 8:15. It’s a 6:15 airtime on WDAD, FM 100.3 and AM 1450.
STEELERS ROSTER NEWS:
Steelers defensive back Damontae Kazee has been suspended for three games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse. The NFL did not provide details on what the substance was or when the violation occurred. Kazee was expected to be a key part of the secondary this year after signing as a free agent. He was a starter at cornerback last year for Dallas. He’s been on injured reserve since injuring his wrist in the final preseason game and would have been eligible to return on October 9th for the game at Buffalo. The suspension will put him out until October 16th at home against Tampa Bay.
The team yesterday signed veteran cornerback Quincy Wilson to the practice squad. The former Colts and Jets defensive back has not played in a regular season game since 2020.
Former Steelers and Browns cornerback Joe Haden will sign a one-day contract today to retire as a Cleveland Brown. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Browns before being released in a salary dump in 2017 and signing with the Steelers. Haden played five years with the Steelers but didn’t like their contract offer in the offseason, and no other NFL team showed interest.
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