Pittsburgh Steelers

The unbeaten Steelers (10-0) had been set to host AFC North rivals Baltimore last Thursday as part of the Thanksgiving schedule, only for the divisional matchup to be pushed back to Sunday amid a coronavirus outbreak in the Ravens camp.

It was then confirmed the clash would have to be delayed once again as more Ravens players continued to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, among them starting quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

On Saturday, it was announced six more – Jaylon Ferguson, D.J. Fluker, Broderick Washington, Will Holden, Khalil Dorsey and Tavon Young – had been added, taking the tally to 18, with tight end Mark Andrews then reportedly testing positive. 

With the teams waiting on the results of the NFL's latest round of coronavirus testing, the Ravens confirmed on Monday that Andrews, along with fellow 2019 Pro Bowler Matthew Judon, and wide receiver Willie Snead IV had all been removed from the active roster and, according to NFL sources, the league has elected to push the game back to Wednesday.

Terrell Bonds was also added to the reserve/COVID-19 list, though the cornerback is already sidelined due to a serious knee injury.

There was some good news for the Ravens, with Ferguson, Fluker, Washington and Iman Marshall all added back to the roster, meaning Baltimore – who had not made the trip to Pittsburgh as of Monday afternoon US eastern time, had 19 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Baltimore sit third in the AFC North, with a 6-4 record from their opening 10 games.

The Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings all return after a bye week, as do the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, who will look to increase the pressure on the San Francisco 49ers.

The Eagles are aiming to maintain their 100 per cent record when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town, while the Bills host Aaron Rodgers and his wobbling Green Bay Packers.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the numbers ahead of Sunday's games, starting in the city of brotherly love.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)

It promises to be a tricky trip for Pittsburgh, as the Eagles own a nine-game winning streak at home against them, a streak that started in 1966 (Pittsburgh's last win there was Week 6, 1965). It is the Eagles' longest home winning streak against a single opponent in franchise history.

The Steelers lost 16-10 at the Miami Dolphins last week, and are averaging just 15.3 points per game, the second fewest in the NFL (Denver Broncos, 14.3). The last time they finished in the bottom two of the NFL in scoring was 1969 (15.6 points per game, second worst).

The Eagles have held a lead of at least 14 points in each of their six games this season. The last team to do so in seven straight games to begin the season was the 2007 Patriots (eight straight).

Philadelphia have won Jalen Hurts' last nine starts, tied for the longest quarterback win streak in franchise history with Carson Wentz (2017), Donovan McNabb (2003) and Norm Van Brocklin (1960). The Eagles were 6-10 in Hurts' first 16 career starts in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers (3-4) @ Los Angeles Rams (3-3)

Including a 24-9 home win in Week 4, the 49ers have won seven straight regular-season games against Los Angeles, their second-longest streak against the Rams all-time (17 straight from December 1990 to December 1998). However, the Rams beat the 49ers in last season's NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium.

San Francisco lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 44-23, at home last week. It was the first time they have lost back-to-back games by at least 14 points since Weeks 9-10 in 2020. They followed those games up with a 23-20 win against the Rams in Los Angeles.

Last week, Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 303 yards, the 11th game in his career with at least 300 yards. The 49ers won the first seven of those games but are just 1-3 in the last four. The only win in that span came on the road against the Rams in Week 18 last season.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford is 1-6 in his regular season career against the 49ers, his worst record against any NFC opponent. He has thrown four touchdown passes and five interceptions in his three games against them since joining the Rams, losing each one.

Green Bay Packers (3-4) @ Buffalo Bills (5-1)

The Packers have won their last four home games against the Bills, but are 0-6 all-time in Buffalo, most recently losing a 21-13 game there in Week 15, 2014. The Bills are the only active franchise the Packers have never beaten on the road.

Green Bay lost 23-21 to the Washington Commanders last week, and have lost three straight games for the first time since Weeks 11-13 in 2018. They have not lost four straight since Weeks 8-11 in 2016. The last time they lost four of their first seven games was in 2006 (also 3-4).

The Bills are coming off their bye week following a 24-20 win in Kansas City in Week 6. Since the Bills' last Super Bowl appearance in 1993, they have begun a season 5-1 four times – 1995, 2008, 2019, and this year.

Buffalo's offense has faced a blitz on 35.3 per cent of its passing plays this season, the fourth highest in the league. The Packers have faced a blitz just 20.2 per cent of the time, second lowest in the league (Miami, 18.2). The Bills have blitzed opponents just 12.9 per cent of the time, the lowest in the league.

Elsewhere…

Dak Prescott should face the Chicago Bears (3-4) after making his return in the Dallas Cowboys' (5-2) win over the Detroit Lions last week, moving his career record as a starter to 54-33 (.621). Since 2016. The Cowboys are 9-8 when Prescott does not start (.530) while averaging almost 60 total yards fewer per game when he is not the starter (382.3 with, 322.9 without).

The New York Jets (5-2) enter their clash with the New England Patriots (3-4) with a chance to break their current 12-game losing streak against them, which dates back to the 2016 season. With a loss, the streak would match Denver's 13-game losing streak to Kansas City as the longest active one in the NFL.

Saquon Barkley (110 rushing yards) and Daniel Jones (107) each ran for over 100 yards last week, the third time a New York Giants (6-1) duo has eclipsed that mark. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw did so in Week 14, 2010 and Week 16, 2007. The only other team with such a duo this season was the New Orleans Saints in Week 5 against the Giants' opponents for Week 8, the Seattle Seahawks (4-3).

The Tennessee Titans (4-2) own a four-game win streak after a 19-10 win at home against the Indianapolis Colts. This is the Titans' sixth-straight season with a winning streak of at least four games, and it could go to five with a win at the Houston Texans (1-4-1).

Following a thriller between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints in London last week, England's capital plays host to the latest international series matchup as the New York Giants face the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Elsewhere, pre-season Super Bowl favourites the Buffalo Bills welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Philadelphia Eagles look to continue their winning streak on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.

With all that and more on offer, Stats Perform has delved into Opta data to preview this weekend's contests.

New York Giants (3-1) @ Green Bay Packers (3-1)

The Giants head to London on the back of a 20-12 victory against the Chicago Bears, where they did not have a single receiver with 20 or more receiving yards for the second time in six games, stretching back to last season. Prior to that, the Giants had one such instance in their previous 231 outings.

Last week, Aaron Rodgers went 21-for-35 (60.0 per cent) in the Packers' 27-24 overtime win against the New England Patriots, which tied the Tennessee Titans for the most overtime wins since 2017 (six).

In that game, Rashan Gary had two sacks and boasts at least one sack in all four games this season. No Packers player has recorded at least one sack in the team's first five matches of a campaign, since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

The Eagles head to Arizona as the only undefeated side remaining in the 2022 season, but they have lost four straight road games against the Cardinals, coming as part of a 3-10 record since 1993 – their last win in Arizona coming in 2001.

Philadelphia maintained their winning streak against the Jaguars after fighting back from a 14-0 deficit, their first win when trailing by at least 14 points after the first quarter since 2014, also against the Jaguars, while their last such win prior to that was against the Jets in 1993.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray threw two touchdowns and ran for another last week, tying Daunte Culpepper as the second-fastest quarterback to reach 75 passing TDs and 20 rushing career TDs, doing so in 50 games. Only Josh Allen (48 games) has been quicker to that total.

This season, the Cardinals have outscored their opponents 49-13 in the fourth quarter, boasting the best differential (+36) in that regard, while the Eagles are -20 this season in the fourth (9-29), ranking 27th in the league.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) @ Buffalo Bills (3-1)

The Steelers boast a stellar overall record against the Bills, winning seven of the last nine matchups. However, they are 1-2 in games against Josh Allen, who has been responsible for at least one touchdown in his last 18 consecutive home games, tying Jim Kelly for the franchise record.

Sunday's game will mark Kenny Pickett's first career start, having thrown three interceptions in the second half against the New York Jets last week, making him the first Steelers debutant to throw three interceptions since Terry Hanratty in 1969.

He faces a challenge to get the Steelers' offense ticking, Pittsburgh having gained 1,115 total yards through the first four weeks of the season, the team's lowest tally since the 2010 season (1,078 yards).

Stefon Diggs is the man to watch for the Bills, boasting 406 receiving yards this season – 253 more than his closest teammate in the rankings (Isaiah McKenzie, 153), which is the largest such gap in an NFL team this season.

Elsewhere…

The Chicago Bears head to Minnesota to face the Vikings and rank last in the NFL for net passing yards, with 390 so far, some 168 fewer than the Giants with the second-lowest total (558). The Bears are the first team with fewer than 400 net passing yards in the first four games of a season since 2005.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is looking to enhance his touchdown record on the road against the Cleveland Browns, having thrown at least one TD pass in 35 different games since making his debut in Week 2 of the 2020 season – tying him with Kirk Cousins for the most games with a TD pass over the last three seasons.

The Houston Texans travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on the back of eight straight wins against their opponents, which stands as Houston's longest streak against any opponent all-time. Houston have yet to post a win this season, however.

The Detroit Lions have set an NFL record already in this campaign, becoming the first side to score 140 or more points and concede 140 or more points across the first four games of a season. They travel to the New England Patriots.

It was also a career day for Hurts' top receiver, A.J. Brown, who caught three touchdown passes for the first time – and he did it all in the first half.

Brown's first score came on a 39-yard deep-ball into the endzone, coming down with it between two Steelers defensive backs in the first quarter. He then added two more scores in the second quarter –  a 27-yard touchdown and a 29-yard touchdown to open up a 21-10 lead.

He finished the game with six catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Eagles receiver to total at least 150 yards and three touchdowns in a single game since 2007.

Hurts would start the second half with his fourth touchdown pass, this time to Zach Pascal, and a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown for Miles Sanders would complete the rout.

For the Steelers, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 25 of his 38 passes for 191 yards and one interception, getting sacked six times and fumbling twice.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson collected one of those six sacks for the Eagles, and he also had the game's only interception.

The Eagles have a great chance to move to 8-0 on Thursday when they travel to take on the Houston Texans.

Tagovailoa leads strong Dolphins comeback

The Miami Dolphins had to claw their way out of an early deficit to defeat the Detroit Lions 31-27 in a high-scoring shootout.

Detroit jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after touchdown runs to D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, and after Jaylen Waddle got on the end of a Tua Tagovailoa touchdown pass to trim the margin, Williams ran in his second score of the opening half to make it 21-7.

Tagovailoa then found his rhythm and delivered another touchdown to Waddle, with the talented young receiver going on to finish with eight catches for 106 yards and two scores. He was not alone as teammate Tyreek Hill gave the Lions' secondary headaches all game, catching 12 of his 14 targets for 188 yards.

A one-yard fullback dive from Alec Ingold and an 11-yard touchdown to Mike Gesicki would pull the Dolphins ahead 31-27 late in the third quarter, and their defense would rise to the challenge down the stretch to shut the door.

Cook carries the Vikings to impressive 6-1 start

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the most surprising stories of the season and are likely playoff-bound after moving to 6-1 with a 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Star running back Dalvin Cook was at his best, shouldering 20 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Kirk Cousins and backup running back Alexander Mattison also collected rushing touchdowns.

Top Cardinals receiver De'Andre Hopkins enjoyed a big performance, catching 12 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, but it was not enough as the Minnesota defense stepped up and denied Arizona a potential game-tying score on their final three drives. 

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their 100 per cent record against the Washington Commanders on Monday, and will look to bounce back in Indianapolis in Week 11.

The New York Jets return from their bye week looking to continue to surprise, though they have a tough trip to the New England Patriots to contend with, while the Minnesota Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in another enticing clash.

Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more interesting numbers ahead of these and other big games on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1)

Philadelphia possessed the ball for just 19 minutes and 36 seconds of game time in the loss to the Commanders. It was their lowest time of possession in a game since another loss to Washington in Week 4 of the 2015 season (18:52).

Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown last week, giving him 20 in his career. At 24 years and 99 days old, he became the second-youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 rushing touchdowns, trailing only Cam Newton (23 years, 199 days).

Matt Ryan had a 39-yard rush in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the longest run of his career. It was the longest rushing play by a Colts quarterback since Jim Harbaugh ran for 41 yards in Week 4 of the 1994 season.

With a win, Jeff Saturday would join Jim Caldwell (2009) as the only Colts head coaches to win the first two games of their careers.

New York Jets (6-3) @ New England Patriots (5-4)

The Patriots have won 13 consecutive games against the Jets, winning every meeting since the beginning of the 2016 season. That is tied for the longest active win streak against a single opponent for any team (the Chiefs over the Broncos).

The Jets entered their bye week with a 20-17 win over the Bills in which they had 136 net passing yards. They are 5-0 this season when having 250 or fewer passing yards in a game compared to 1-3 when they have more than 250.

Players aged 23 and younger have gained 2002 yards from scrimmage for the Jets this season, the most in the NFL (next most is the Colts with 1336). That is already the most scrimmage yards for the Jets by players 23 and under since the 1990 season (2452).

Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots with 457 receiving yards this season, one of five New England players with 200+ receiving yards this season. Only the Green Bay Packers (six) have more players with at least 200 receiving yards in 2022.

Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

Last week was the Vikings' third win this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, tying the 1980 Dolphins, 2000 Jets, 2003 Colts and 2011 Lions for the most such wins in a campaign in NFL history.

Justin Jefferson has 814 receiving yards over his last six games, the most in a six-game span in Vikings history and the most by any NFL player over a six-game span in a single season since Antonio Brown recorded 868 in 2015.

With his 81-yard rushing touchdown last week, Dalvin Cook has now had a rush of at least 65 yards in five straight seasons, level with Derrick Henry (2017-21) for the longest streak by any player since the 1970 merger.

Last week's loss to Green Bay snapped the Cowboys' streak of 195 consecutive wins when leading by 14 or more points entering the fourth quarter (including postseason), which had been the longest streak in NFL history.

Elsewhere...

The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns having had at least 100 rushing yards and 300 total yards in 16 straight games, including postseason, the third-longest streak in the Super Bowl era behind the Seattle Seahawks (19, 2014-15) and the Vikings (18, 2002-03).

The Detroit Lions will need to stop Saquon Barkley, who had a career-high 35 rushing attempts for 152 yards in the New York Giants' 24-16 win over the Houston Texans last week. His 35 rushes were the most in a game by any NFL running back this season and the most by a Giant since Joe Montgomery had 38 against the Jets in 1999. 

Ahead of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 76.8 per cent of his passes over his last four games, the fourth-highest by any QB over a four-game span in a single season in NFL history (minimum 140 attempts, excluding overlapping spans) behind Peyton Manning (78.8) and Philip Rivers in 2013 (78.3), and Sam Bradford in 2016 (77.9).

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, 27-24. Since 2018, six of the nine games between the Chiefs and Chargers have been decided by seven points or fewer, tied for the third most of any matchup since then (Bears-Lions and Texans-Colts, seven each).

Brown was the star of the show for the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field as they routed the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13.

He caught six passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns in an emphatic demonstration of why the Eagles traded a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire Brown.

But the former Ole Miss star still sees plenty of room for the Eagles to improve as they bid to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

"This team is hungry and, most importantly, humble. We know there is a lot of work to be done," said Brown.

"We still have not played a complete game, and I promise you, everybody in this room is going to know when we play a complete game.

"Once we do that, the whole world will know that."

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is enjoying an excellent second season as the Philadelphia starter and has rapidly developed an excellent rapport with Brown.

They have combined for 659 yards and five touchdowns through the air, Hurts registering a passer rating of 121.8 when targeting Brown.

"I have a lot of trust in A.J. I think that’s a lot of the reason why he’s here," Hurts said. "We’ve always had a great relationship.

"It’s been beautiful to see how it’s unfolded throughout the year, personally for him and I, and us on the field.

"I always had a lot of admiration for his mentality. He's been doing great things for us, I'm proud of him as a friend and as a quarterback."

Hurts and Brown will look to develop their understanding further and move to 8-0 when they visit the Houston Texans on Thursday.

Under-fire Dan Quinn saw his men surrender a 16-point lead to lose 30-26 a week after a humiliating last-gasp loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

There were big wins for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, while the Tennessee Titans once more had Stephen Gostkowski to thank for a narrow victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers also won, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals playing out the first tie of the season.

 

FALCONS FELLED BY FOLES

Falcons coach Quinn looks to be in trouble after another fourth-quarter collapse by Atlanta, this time leading to a four-point loss to the Bears.

Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes in the final quarter, the latter connecting with Anthony Miller with two minutes remaining, as Chicago recovered from 16 points down to move to 3-0 for the season.

The Falcons are the first team in NFL history to blow a lead of 15 points or more in the fourth quarter and lose in back-to-back matches.

Matt Ryan was intercepted by Tashaun Gipson late on as a miserable day for the Falcons was compounded by the losses of Russell Gage (concussion) and Grady Jarrett (hip).

RAMS FALL SHORT IN SPECTACULAR COMEBACK, PATRIOTS SIX IN A ROW AGAINST RAIDERS

The Los Angeles Rams almost completed the third-biggest comeback ever in the regular season, only to be denied by a Tyler Kroft touchdown with 15 seconds remaining.

The Bills had squandered a 25-point advantage but were bailed out by Kroft's second of the game following good work from Josh Allen.

Elsewhere in the East, the Patriots moved to 2-0 at home as three touchdowns from Rex Burkhead led them to a 36-20 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders.

 

TITANS BUOYED BY GOSTKOWSKI SIX APPEAL

The Titans downed the winless Minnesota Vikings 31-30 thanks to the boot of Stephen Gostkowski.

A career-high six field goals, including a 55-yarder with less than two minutes on the clock, helped to banish memories of some wayward kicking in his first two Titans outings.

Dalvin Cook rushed for a career-high 181 yards and scored for the Vikings, but they are 0-3 for the first time in seven years.

The Steelers are still perfect, though – they moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010 by defeating the Houston Texans 28-21, Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 237 yards and two touchdowns in a franchise-record 221st appearance.

Week 3 scores:

Atlanta Falcons 26-30 Chicago Bears
Buffalo Bills 35-32 Los Angeles Rams
Cleveland Browns 34-20 Washington Football Team
Minnesota Vikings 30-31 Tennessee Titans
New England Patriots 36-20 Las Vegas Raiders
New York Giants 9-36 San Francisco 49ers
Philadelphia Eagles 23-23 Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers 28-21 Houston Texans

Pittsburgh started the regular season with 11 straight wins but laboured in the closing weeks, eventually finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record to top the AFC North. 

Their Super Bowl hopes were then ended early by the Cleveland Browns. Despite having home advantage, the Steelers were unable to recover from an appalling first quarter that saw them give up 28 points, eventually losing 48-37 to their divisional rivals. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin had promised to make changes when speaking to the media on Wednesday, leading to Fichtner, offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and defensive backs coach Tom Bradley all being told their contracts would not be renewed. 

"I want to thank all three of the coaches for their commitment and dedication to the Pittsburgh Steelers," Tomlin said in a statement.  

"They have all played integral roles in our success and I am appreciative of their efforts. Personally, Randy and I have been in Pittsburgh since I hired him in 2007, but our relationship began well before that.  

"He has been a friend of mine for years and wish his family nothing but the best, and I am eternally grateful for our relationship both on and off the field." 

Fichtner had previously served in roles coaching Pittsburgh's wide receivers and quarterbacks before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2018. 

Pittsburgh averaged 334.6 yards per game during the 2020 regular season, though their total of 1,351 rushing yards ranked their running game dead last in the NFL. 

The changes may not be restricted to just the coaching staff, either. The future of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger - who has a year remaining on his contract - remains unclear, though he hinted after the postseason defeat to the Browns that he would like to come back next season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday announced that the 25-year-old has agreed to a four-year contract worth in excess of $73.6million, with $36m guaranteed.

Fitzpatrick is confident he is worth his huge salary and will repay the Steelers with his performances.

He said: "I think I'm one of the best at what I do. So obviously, you would like to be paid in that way and represented in that way.

"In a week from now or a year from now, somebody's obviously gonna pass it up, but you always want to raise the bar for the guys behind you, want to raise the bar for the people in our locker room.

"I think Mr. Rooney and [general manager] Omar [Khan], they see the work that I put in, and obviously my play on the field reflects that. They're willing to make me that, and I'm appreciative."

He added: "Because I've done it, there's no pressure. That's the standard that I hold myself to day in and day out."

Fitzpatrick felt it was important to get his future resolved before training camp starts next month.

He said: "It was important. I wanted to be out there with my team-mates, practicing and competing.

"The thing I appreciate the most about this organisation is its commitment to winning. The season I came here, they lost their Hall of Fame QB. They could've tanked. But they went out, got me, and added some other guys. It was a season about winning."

A first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2018, Fitzpatrick was traded to the Steelers a year later, having expressed dissatisfaction with his role on the Dolphins' defense.

He was named a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and again two years ago and has 11 interceptions since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Only three safeties, Justin Simmons (14), Quandre Diggs (13) and Tyrann Mathieu (13) have registered more interceptions in that time.

He has also racked up 27 pass breakups, tied for seventh-most in the NFL, during that period.

News of his death came three days before his number 32 shirt number was to be retired.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, a nine-time Pro Bowl honouree, was the 13th overall pick in the 1972 NFL draft for the Pennsylvania outfit.

Over the following decade, he helped the Steelers to the game's biggest prize on four separate occasions, while he was named the MVP of Super Bowl IX.

Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said: "The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today.

"We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and, most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet. Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.

"The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco's football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field.

"My heart and prayers go out to his wife, Dana, an equally incredible person, a special friend to the Hall and someone who cares so deeply for Franco's Hall of Fame teammates."

Having rushed for over 11,000 yards, Harris was the Steelers' leader in franchise history, and he was due to become just the third player to have their shirt number retired this weekend.

The Steelers had intended for the honour to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the match-winning play Harris was involved in for their first ever playoff win.

The running back famously was the apparently unintended receiver of Terry Bradshaw's last-gasp throw in the 1972 AFC divisional match with the Oakland Raiders, and ran for the clinching touchdown in the final minute.

Though the team subsequently lost their next match to the Miami Dolphins, the victory is widely regarded as an instrumental turning point that helped the club become the NFL's dominant force over the following decade.

Pittsburgh are due to face the now Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, 50 years and a day since Harris had his magical moment.

Mike Tomlin's side are bottom of AFC North with a 6-8 record this season, and are looking to string back-to-back wins together for only the second time in 2022.

Roethlisberger said this week "all the signs" are that the clash will be his last regular-season game at Heinz Field.

The 39-year-old is anticipated to retire after the 2021 season amid reports he has told former team-mates and people within the franchise that he expects to bring his illustrious career to an end.

The Steelers great, a winner of two Super Bowls, gave a strong indication his playing days are almost over as Pittsburgh strive to sneak into the playoffs without explicitly confirming he would retire.

And Mayfield, who was asked about the comments, revealed he was a huge admirer of Roethlisberger even though he will be looking to deny the veteran's bid for a last postseason appearance.

"There is a lot that I admire about his game and respect about it, to be honest with you," said Mayfield.

"His play, he extends plays, but he also trusts his guys thoroughly. 

"He trusts his receivers, tight ends and all of those guys to make plays for him, and he has done it consistently, no matter who has been out there with him. 

"When it comes to fourth quarter or coming back and sparking drives for a comeback and when a play is needed to be made, he has consistently done that for a long, long time. 

"That is something you can't teach. He has just had that, and that is why he has had success for so long."

Six-time Pro Bowler Roethlisberger has spent an incredible 18 years with the Steelers and has 163 career wins to his name, a record in the NFL for players who have spent their entire career with one team.

Tom Brady is the only quarterback to have won more games with a single franchise, racking up 219 victories for the New England Patriots.

The Browns are 7-8 while the Steelers are at 7-7-1, but neither team are out of contention in a competitive AFC North.

Mayfield added: "With everything in our division and the situation at hand for both teams right now, regardless of Ben's situation, I think it will be a great environment. 

"To add on top of that, just everything that he has given to that franchise over the years and the success he has had consistently for a very, very long time, I have nothing but respect for Ben. 

"I am expecting just an even better environment. Both teams to be playing for the likelihood of the playoffs at hand. 

"It is just one of those things that everything is aligning to where this game matters quite a bit, but for us, we need to handle it like any other game – one play at a time and do our job at the best possible level we can."

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski added about Roethlisberger: "Obviously, he is a great player, but I am really focused on trying to defend him Monday night. He is still playing at a really high level."

Remarkably, the Steelers have won 17 straight home regular season games against the Browns, the third-longest home winning streak against one team in NFL history, though Cleveland did win in the playoffs last season.

Pittsburgh have scored fewer than 20 points in eight of their 15 games this season, the most such games in one season since 2003, when they were held below 20 points nine times. 

Roethlisberger, though, has a 24-2-1 record in his 27 career starts against the Browns. 

Cleveland's last three games were a 24-22 win against the Ravens, 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and a 24-22 loss at the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day.

It is only the second time in Browns history that they have played three consecutive games decided by no more than a two-point margin following a similar run in 2014. 

Tomlin has been in charge of the Steelers since 2007 and won Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009.

The youngest coach to win the Super Bowl, Tomlin and Pittsburgh lost the big game on their next trip two years later and have not returned since.

But the Steelers have repeatedly challenged, reaching the playoffs in nine of his 14 seasons.

In 2020, the Steelers made an 11-0 start before an underwhelming end to the season. Four defeats in five and a 12-4 record was still enough to win the AFC North, but Pittsburgh then suffered a humiliating postseason defeat to division rival the Cleveland Browns.

They are keeping faith with Tomlin, however.

"Mike is one of the most successful head coaches in the National Football League," president Art Rooney II said.

"And we are confident in his leadership to continue to lead our team as we work to win another championship."

The Steelers have favoured continuity, with Tomlin just their third coach since 1969 – the others Hall of Famers Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.

Tomlin, whose contract had been set to expire at the end of the coming season, said: "I am extremely grateful for this contract extension and want to thank Art Rooney II and everyone in the organisation for the support in my first 14 seasons.

"We have a goal of winning the organisation's seventh Super Bowl championship, and I couldn't be more enthusiastic about this upcoming season."

The Steelers have restructured veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's contract, so it voids after 2021.

But the 39-year-old is set to start under center for one more season after finishing the previous campaign with an eventful display against the Browns.

Roethlisberger threw for more than 500 yards (501) for the fourth time in his career and set new highs for attempts (68) and completions (47). He finished with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Herbert threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams with just over two minutes remaining as the Chargers outlasted the Steelers in a wild shoot-out on Sunday.

The Chargers led 27-10 entering the final quarter before Roethlisberger and the Steelers fought back to sensationally take a 37-34 lead behind Chris Boswell's 45-yard field goal with 3:24 remaining.

But the Chargers (6-4) avoided a mammoth collapse as Herbert found Williams four plays later to sink the Steelers (5-4-1), while Ekeler finished with a career-high four touchdowns.

Herbert became the first player in NFL history with 380-plus passing yards and 90-plus rushing yards in a game, per Stats Perform. The Chargers quarterback finished 30-of-41 passing for 382 yards and three TDs, while he rushed for another 90 yards – the most by a Chargers quarterback in a game.

With his third TD pass, Herbert improved to 53 touchdowns in his first 25 career starts, surpassing Tony Romo for fourth most in a player's opening 25 starts in the Super Bowl era – only Patrick Mahomes (68), Dan Marino (65) and Kurt Warner (59) had more.

As for Ekeler, who scored in every quarter, became the first player with multiple rushing touchdowns and multiple receiving TDs in a single game since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2011.

Steelers veteran Roethlisberger finished with three touchdowns on 28-of-44 passing for 273 yards.

Jackson was knocked out of last week's win over the Denver Broncos because of a knee injury, which has kept him out of practice all week.

The Ravens listed him as doubtful on Friday, meaning backup Tyler Huntley will likely get the start for 8-4 Baltimore.

History says the Ravens will find victory difficult to come by against Pittsburgh without their former MVP quarterback, even against a 5-7 Steelers team that is a shadow of the former AFC powerhouse it once was.

Indeed, since drafting Jackson in 2018, the Ravens are 45-16 (73.8 win percentage) in games started by Jackson and 6-10 (37.5%) when anyone else starts at quarterback.

And, though the Steelers appear unlikely to make the playoffs, the Ravens are facing Pittsburgh likely without Jackson at a time when their arch rivals are showing signs of life. 

The Steelers have won three of their past four games and have not committed a turnover in that stretch. It is the Steelers' longest such streak since turnovers have been tracked in 1950.

Mike Tomlin's Steelers have the edge in recent matchups with the Ravens. They are on a four-game win streak against the Ravens with all four wins coming by five or fewer points.

Only two matchups in NFL history have seen a team beat another five straight times all by fewer than six points (Philadelphia vs. Washington – six, 1992-95 and Raiders vs. Denver – five, 1989-1991).

Past performance from the Ravens suggests Huntley will not be able to end that run. With the Bengals (8-4) breathing down their neck in the division, there is huge onus on him to throw the formbook out of the window in a tough road matchup.

The first tie since Week 3 of the 2020 season took place on Sunday, with the Lions avoiding defeat but unable to earn a first win of 2021 after missing a field goal to win in overtime.

There was also disappointment for the Steelers, who were in prime position to win on multiple occasions in a chaotic extra 10 minutes.even with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger absent due to coronavirus.

First-round draft pick Harris, who ran for 105 yards and caught all four of his targets for a further 28, had no idea game was over. 

"I didn't even know you could tie in the NFL," Harris said, per ESPN. "In my mind, I was sitting on the bench saying, 'I've got another quarter to go'. 

"But someone came to me and said, 'That's it'. I've never had a tie in my life before."

The Steelers (5-3-1) fumbled twice in overtime through Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth, meaning they failed to take full advantage of losses for the AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.

"Ties suck," added Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. "I know it's a tie, but if it's not a win, I don't think you can really hang your hat on that."

Linebacker Joe Schobert added: "A tie in the NFL always feels like a loss when you get to the locker room because you're not adding one to the win column.

"It's a half-game. It might make a difference in the end. To let it slip away when you're that close definitely hurts."

But it could have been worse for the Steelers as the Lions (0-8-1) missed a golden opportunity to claim what would have been their first win since last December.

Ryan Santoso had a 48-yard field goal to win the game for the Lions, but saw his kick come up short of the goalposts.

There have now been 14 overtime games this season through 10 weeks of the season – only in 1995 (when there were 18) has there been more at this stage of an NFL campaign.

While games going beyond regulation have been common in 2021, this was the first to end all square, with Lions head coach Dan Campbell unsure how to feel.

"I'm in this twilight zone," he said. "I don't know what this is, really, and I'm sure I've been in a tie before as a player, but for some reason I can't remember that, if it was.

"I don't know how to feel about that, necessarily.

"It's like I told the guys, I was upset we didn't win, but I was also proud of them because of the fact that we put ourselves in position to win the game in overtime.

"We didn't win, but we didn't lose either. All you can ask for is improvement and we improved."

Star Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt went down with hip and knee injuries in the third quarter and was unable to return.

He did register a sack on Jared Goff in the play that caused his departure, meaning he has 62 in his career through his first 70 games. 

That is the second-best total ever, behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White (79) and above Derrick Thomas (61) and his brother J.J. (61).

Any one team can beat another, and that means at this stage of the season, with the first snap still to be taken, every team can have Super Bowl aspirations.

Sort of.

The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, may have been slightly surprising contenders in 2021, but there remain some teams whose title hopes are so remote as to be non-existent.

For some, this is because they have missed their shot at glory in recent years; for others, the plan is to challenge in seasons to come.

So, this leads us to draw up a preseason tier system, ranking all 32 teams by their Super Bowl windows with the help of Stats Perform AI predictions...

Nowhere near

This is unlikely to be a season to remember for the teams grouped in this category, for a variety of reasons.

The Houston Texans won the AFC South in 2018 and 2019, but the Deshaun Watson saga and two down years have them looking at a rebuild, with the data forecasting just 4.8 wins this year. That at least ranks them ahead of the Atlanta Falcons (3.6 projected wins) and the New York Giants (4.2), while the Texans did gain draft assets in the Watson trade.

The Chicago Bears are the fourth and final team projected to earn fewer than six wins (4.9), with second-year quarterback Justin Fields receiving little help on offense and playing behind an offensive line ranked 31st in pass protection.

Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders rank 31st in terms of skill players – better only than the Falcons – with faith in Carson Wentz long since having diminished. In Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the Carolina Panthers have two high-draft-pick QBs unlikely to trouble the postseason. The New York Jets are in a similar boat, even if Zach Wilson is still young.

The Detroit Lions might argue they do not deserve to keep such company after a 3-3 finish to last season, but nobody could seriously argue they are title contenders.

Entering contention

If that first group was a mixed bag, so too is the second.

Anyone who has paid any attention to the New England Patriots' preseason would suggest they are very fortunate to be given any hope of success in the near future, but they finished with 10 wins in 2021 – even if that number is projected to shrink to 7.7. Despite a trade for Tyreek Hill, that still ranks the Patriots comfortably ahead of the Miami Dolphins (7.0), although the losing team in their Week 1 meeting will face a long slog of a season.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Philadelphia Eagles are forecast to have 11.9 wins – the second-most in the NFL – after a very strong offseason. But Jalen Hurts, for now, is unproven in the postseason, so Philly fans may have to stay patient.

The San Francisco 49ers are even younger at QB after promoting Trey Lance to a starting role, which explains why the prediction model looks so unfavourably on a team many consider contenders right now. Just 7.1 projected wins speaks to the potentially low floor Lance brings.

NFC West rivals the Arizona Cardinals have to be considered among this group of future hopefuls, with Kyler Murray hugely talented and now committed long term but frustratingly inconsistent, while the Jacksonville Jaguars will hope Trevor Lawrence can follow in the footsteps of the Bengals' Joe Burrow – the number one pick the year before him.

The Los Angeles Chargers, with 9.8 projected wins, have Justin Herbert to lead their charge, while the Cleveland Browns might have been contenders already if not for Watson's suspension, which is enough to limit them to a still strong 9.3-win forecast.

In their prime

The Chargers may have Herbert, but they also have three division rivals who intend to win and intend to win now. Indeed, all four AFC West teams rank in the top half of the league in terms of projected wins, with the Chargers second – behind the Kansas City Chiefs (11.5) and just ahead of the Denver Broncos (9.7) and the Las Vegas Raiders (9.2).

The Chiefs lead the AFC in this regard, although their playoff win over the Buffalo Bills last season came down to a coin flip, and the two are set to be similarly tough to separate this year. Buffalo are down for 11.1 wins.

The two teams coming off a Super Bowl run are of course prominent among the contenders, even if the model has far greater optimism for a Los Angeles Rams repeat than for another Bengals charge. The Rams are backed for a league-leading 12.4 wins and given a 15.3 per cent shot at defending their title, while the Bengals are actually projected to dip below .500 with 8.2 wins.

The Bengals' route to the Super Bowl will be complicated not just by the AFC West and the Bills but also by any return to form for the fit-again Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens, who are counted among nine teams on course for 10 or more wins (10.4).

Also in that group are NFC pair the Dallas Cowboys (11.0) and the Minnesota Vikings (10.9), who may not even be the best teams in their divisions but might be nearing a point when they must seriously challenge or start again, which brings us to...

Last chance saloon

As long as Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the QBs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers, those teams are in with a chance. The question is how long that will remain the case.

Brady is 45, briefly retired this offseason and then missed a chunk of the preseason. Rodgers is 38, has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Green Bay and lost top target Davante Adams ahead of the new season. Still, the Buccaneers rank eighth for projected wins (10.7), with the Packers up in third (11.5).

They are not the only ageing teams in the NFL, however.

The Indianapolis Colts hope they have upgraded in moving from Wentz to Matt Ryan, yet the former MVP is now 37 and last played in the postseason in 2017 – when Wentz's Eagles took the title.

Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill is a little younger at 34, but of greater concern would be Derrick Henry's durability after the injury that limited to eight games last regular season. The Titans need to make the most of any seasons they have left of the superstar running back going at full tilt.

Missed their chance

Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees won Super Bowls with the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints respectively, but with all three having now moved on, it is difficult to see those teams plotting a path to the title.

For the Seahawks and the Steelers, this will be their first year without their stalwart QBs, even if things had already gone stale in 2021. Wilson dipped below the .500 mark for a season for the first time in his career, while Pittsburgh were attempting to stay competitive in spite of Roethlisberger rather than because of him.

Still, with both gone – Wilson to Denver and Roethlisberger to retirement – there is a void under center that has not been suitably filled. Seattle also rank 32nd in pass protection, likely leaving Geno Smith hopelessly exposed.

The Saints have had another 12 months to come to terms with Brees' exit, albeit they spent it juggling Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill at QB. Winston's season-ending injury doomed the Saints' hopes of contention last year, and New Orleans' outlook for 9.5 wins with the entertaining but erratic former number one pick is at least far more positive than that of the Seahawks (6.2) or the Steelers (7.0).

Regardless, each of these three teams have provided an example in how not to do succession planning. They all could have won additional honours with their departed veterans and now face long waits for further title tilts.

Washington rallied from a 14-3 half-time deficit - including scoring the final 13 points of the contest - to end the Steelers' perfect run during the 2020 regular season.

In doing so, they became the first team with a losing record to win a road game against an opponent with an 11-0 or better record, according to Stats Perform. The result also moves them into a tie for first place in the NFC East, as they join the New York Giants at 5-7.

Quarterback Smith completed 31 of his 46 pass attempts for 296 yards and a touchdown, finding tight end Logan Thomas in the end zone in the fourth quarter to level the scores at 17-17. Dustin Hopkins then kicked a pair of field goals to seal the road triumph.

"I think we're so young that you have to be able to have wins like this to know that you can do it, you don't get that confidence without having done it," Smith said in a post-game interview with ESPN.

"So, for us, this is a big one we will take with us, knowing we can go on the road and play with anybody.

"I think it says a lot about us. We will enjoy this for a little bit, but we've got a short week travelling across the country [they play the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14] and another good test ahead of us.

"However, I do think this was a big step for us."

Smith is back playing again following a long road to recovery in the aftermath of a career-threatening injury to his right leg, which he suffered back in November 2018.

His return to action has been one of the feel-good stories in the NFL this season, with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt – who was involved in the incident that saw Smith hurt two years ago – tweeting out his admiration for the "incredible" 36-year-old.

"What Alex Smith has done is unbelievable," Watt posted.

"Comeback Player of the Year even before taking a snap. But playing winning football after everything he's been through is even more incredible."

There was an injury concern for Smith late in the first half of the Pittsburgh game, however, as there was blood around his left ankle after being caught by a cleat.

"I had to do a quick check, make sure it was my left leg, not my right," he told ESPN. "A little more concerning with my right.

"It was a new one for me - a bit of a gusher - but luckily it was right before the half so we could get in and take care of it. Nothing serious, it just hit the right spot and kept bleeding."

Smith was elevated to the starting job with Washington after Kyle Allen sustained a dislocated ankle against the Giants in Week 9.

After losing to the Detroit Lions the following week, Washington have since gone on a three-game winning run that has raised hopes of winning the division.

The Ravens' home-field triumph over the Denver Broncos in Week 13 moved them to 8-4 this season, putting them third in the AFC playoff picture, but there was considerable concern about Jackson's fitness.

Harbaugh was optimistic about the injury following the match, stating it would not be a season-ending problem, and expected a swift recovery.

That is still the case, with Jackson not yet ruled out of contention for the upcoming matchup against the Steelers, though he conceded that was "less likely".

"He's been through the MRIs and I would say it's kind of week to week," Harbaugh told reporters on Monday.

"It's going to be a weekly thing. As the week goes on, we'll see for this week.

"He's probably less likely for this week, but it's not impossible. After that he'll become more and more likely."

If Jackson was unavailable, the Vikings would turn to Tyler Huntley – who took to the field against the Broncos and completed 27 of 32 passes for 187 yards and one interception.

Harbaugh is confident it would not affect their play significantly if Huntley had to deputise for Jackson, stating the pair are similar players.

"Our players have a lot of confidence in him. I'm sure a team like the Steelers, Huntley will take most of the reps this week, they will be preparing for both guys," he added.

"Both guys play a similar game, we run basically the same offense with both players so it won't really change anything.

"He's a player who has a lot of dynamics to his game. He can throw, he can run, now he's experienced, he was out there last year for five-to-seven games.

"If that's the way it goes, that's the way it goes. Our guys will be excited to play and we'll be fired up."

Baltimore attempted the two-point conversion after Jackson had led the Ravens to a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining, only for the 24-year-old's throw to narrowly miss Mark Andrews' fingertips in the endzone.

The Steelers therefore squeezed to a 20-19 victory, snapping a two-game losing streak after being inspired by Ben Roethlisberger, who threw two fourth-down touchdowns on Sunday.

But 2019 MVP Jackson, whose 60-yard drive during the closing two minutes set up a tantalising conclusion, bemoaned his lack of cutting edge as Baltimore opted for the winner-takes-all two-pointer as opposed to kicking for a point.

"I was in the moment," Jackson told reporters. "We just scored. I was cool with it. I wanted to win. I didn't want to go to overtime anyway.

"T.J. Watt's got range. He's a long guy. I had to throw around him and try to make something happen. That's all, I just came up short.

"We're just not finishing. We're always one play away. When we get down in the red zone, we've just got to fix that. We've just got to get in the lab and find ways to keep our drives going, try not to have sacks.

"I'm very confident. You saw the last drive. We were rolling, hitting passes, guys running their routes, catching the ball and getting YAC. We just do that consistently, we'll be fine. We just have to do it early and finish the whole game like that."

Jackson continues to be Baltimore's main outlet, once again making eight carries for 55 yards as the Ravens' lead rusher.

But the quarterback's passing was slightly off, throwing an avoidable pick in Baltimore's opening drive while he has now been sacked an already career-high 37 times in 11 starts this season, compared to the last when he suffered just 29 in four more starts.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, though, believes his team and coaching staff need to do more to protect Jackson.

"We can put him in a better position too in terms of getting the ball out quick with some of those calls," Harbaugh added. "Seven sacks is too many. It's way too many. That's on us as a coaching staff to get that cleaned up."

The Ravens (8-4), despite the loss, still lead the AFC North by one game as they next prepare to face the Cleveland Browns (6-6).

Wilson has been sidelined since suffering a meniscus tear and bone bruise in his right knee in their preseason opener, with veteran QB Joe Flacco stepping in during his absence.

Flacco struggled in Sunday's 27-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, coming only seven days after his heroics with two late touchdown passes in a miracle 31-30 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Wilson, who was pick two in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to come immediately back in as starting QB when healthy.

"I'm expecting [him back], but until the doctors say so, I'm just going to say he's being evaluated," Saleh told reporters.

Flacco had a poor game with two interceptions, two fumbles and four sacks against the Bengals.

"It's frustrating," Saleh said. "Any time you turn the ball over and you only get one takeaway, obviously you're not going to win the football game."

Fans became increasingly frustrated at Flacco, with boos heard at MetLife Stadium following a few throwaways, while there were chants for back-up QB Mike White to come on.

Saleh insisted he never considered a QB change, while Flacco said he had no time to worry about it.

"Fans want to see you win football games," Flacco said. "You get the frustration, but it was a two-score game.

"If we put one in the end zone there... we have more important things to worry about than listening to that stuff."

On the quarterback situation, Flacco added: "We'll see. You guys know more than I do. I'm going to keep my head down and keep working, doing all I can for this team in whatever role that may be."