First Call: Jaguars’ social media account mocks Steelers; Titans rookie QB impresses in debut
Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky gets sacked in the fourth quarter by Jaguars’ Josh Allen on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, “First Call” has some harsh talk for them to swallow.
We also examine how the Steelers’ next opponent has improved at quarterback.
The Penguins are hoping to round off their homestand on a good note. And several graduates from Pitt and Penn State had excellent days, even if their teams did not.
Jags mock
After their 20-10 victory at Acrisure Stadium, the Jaguars wasted no time mocking the Steelers.
‘You need to relax.
In terms of NFL trolls, jFollowing George Pickens’ reference to the Jaguars’ “hope defense,” the team’s social media crew channeled “Red” from “Shawshank Redemption.”
And, of course, the Pickens meme from his draft night.
Oh, and a lovely nod to Bill Cowher’s overreaction to Trevor Lawrence’s “little yellow towels” remark. Pickens was limited to just one catch for 22 yards. Meanwhile, the “hope” secondary picked off two passes and held the Steelers to 191 yards passing.
During postgame interviews, Jacksonville defensive backs Rayshawn Jenkins and Andrew Wingard (who had an interception) got all over Pickens.
This was the visiting team’s sixth straight victory in this matchup.Did you see what the Denver Broncos (3-5) did on Sunday following their 24-9 upset of the NFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)?
Of course, they followed in the footsteps of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift and blasted “Shake It Off” over the stadium’s sound system as the teams exited the field.
According to ESPN.com, this was the Broncos’ first victory over the Chiefs in 16 tries. It was quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first loss to Denver in 13 tries.
Kelce was limited to six catches for 58 yards without Swift.
Keep an eye out for Levis.
The Steelers play the Tennessee Titans (3-4) on Thursday night. On Sunday, they defeated Atlanta 28-23. This put an end to a two-game losing streak.
Will Levis, Tennessee’s rookie quarterback, was the story of the game. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Levis, from Kentucky, was selected second overall in the 2023 draft. He was the Steelers’ second pick after taking Joey Porter Jr.
Apart from Levis, only Fran Tarkenton and Marcus Mariota have thrown four touchdowns in their debut NFL game. DeAndre Hopkins caught three touchdown passes and gained 128 yards. Derrick Henry added 122 yards rushing.
According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Steelers are early three-point favorites on Thursday night.
Names you’ve heard before
A handful of well-known collegiate personalities had standout performances on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald (Pitt/Penn Hills) had two sacks in a 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyler Boyd (Clairton), another former Panther, scored a touchdown for the Cincinnati Bengals against the San Francisco 49ers.
Boyd’s second touchdown of the season. The Bengals, like the Steelers, are now 4-3. They are tied for second place in the AFC North with the Browns. At 6-2, the Baltimore Ravens lead the division.
Then there’s Saquon Barkley of Penn State. He rushed for 128 yards for the New York Giants against the Jets. But it took him 36 carries to complete the task. That equates to an average of 3.6 yards per carry.
With Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor sidelined, the Jets stacked up the box against a Giants team that was down to its third quarterback, Tommy DeVito. DeVito finished 2 of 7 for -1 yard passing.
Jordan Addison, an ex-Panther turned USC Trojan and current Minnesota Viking, scored for the second game in a row. He also had 82 receiving yards. Former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster also scored for the New England Patriots. His single reception of the day was a 3-yard catch.
Quack assault
The Penguins must defeat the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night in order to split their four-game homestand.
On Thursday, Sidney Crosby and company defeated the Colorado Avalanche. However, that came after two losses to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Anaheim is currently 4-4. The Penguins have a 3-5 record. The Ducks have swept the opening three games of a four-game East Coast swing. They’ve won 13-9 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Last season, the Pens won both games against Anaheim, 4-3 in OT at home on Jan. 16 and 6-3 in Anaheim on Feb. 10.
