September 19, 2024 4:32 am
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready to hit the reset button. Pittsburgh narrowly missed the playoffs each of the last two years after a stretch of 16 consecutive appearances. Crosby recently signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the club until at least 2027. The 37-year-old says he was encouraged by the way Pittsburgh fought down the stretch last spring before being eliminated. The Penguins made a series of moves during the offseason to rebuild the roster around Crosby and longtime teammates Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh opens the 2024-25 season on Oct. 9 at home against the New York Rangers.
September 18, 2024 4:28 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Lance Lynn threw six strong innings in his 100th appearance at Busch Stadium, Jordan Walker homered and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1. Lynn (7-4) allowed one run on four hits and struck out five. Lynn is 9-0 over his last 21 starts at Busch, where he pitched for the Cardinals from 2011-17 before rejoining St. Louis this season. His last loss in the Cardinals’ ballpark came on July 4, 2017, against Miami. The Pirates’ Bryan De La Cruz hit his 20th homer of the season, taking Lynn deep in the second inning.
September 18, 2024 2:54 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Justin Fields will likely make his third straight start at quarterback when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Los Angeles Chargers. Coach Mike Tomlin says that Fields will practice with the starters during the early portion of the week while Russell Wilson continues to rehab from a calf injury he aggravated a few days ahead of the season opener earlier this month. Tomlin praised Fields for his decision-making and his demeanor but stopped short of saying Fields would be the full-time starter whenever Wilson is cleared to play.
September 18, 2024 4:29 am
Most coaches and players would dread having to spend a week on the road. Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers are relishing it. With games in the Eastern time zone for two straight weeks, the Chargers are staying in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in an AFC matchup of 2-0 teams. The Bolts began their extended road trip on a great note with a 26-3 victory against Carolina last Sunday. The Chargers have five road games in the Eastern time zone for the first time since 2005.
September 18, 2024 4:33 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins have placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after the quarterback was diagnosed with his third concussion in two years. Tagovailoa will be sidelined for at least four games. He will be eligible to return in Week 8 when the Dolphins host Arizona, but has to complete a series of tests and assessments required by the NFL’s concussion protocol before he can return to the field. Coach Mike McDaniel has cautioned against speculation on the quarterback’s future, stressing that he’s more focused on Tagovailoa getting healthy than what this latest concussion means for the team or for his career.
September 17, 2024 4:38 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andre Pallante outdueled rookie Paul Skenes, striking out a career-high nine over seven innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. Pallante allowed four hits and one walk. Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Fernandez each pitched a perfect inning, finishing a four-hitter and the ninth shutout for the Cardinals this season. Skenes gave up one run and four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and one walk, falling to 0-2 in three starts against St. Louis.
September 17, 2024 6:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby is looking to finish what he started in Pittsburgh. The Penguins star has signed a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2026-27 season. The deal, which carries an average annual value of $8.7 million, would keep Crosby in Pittsburgh until nearly his 40th birthday. The agreement comes on the eve of Crosby’s 20th training camp with the Penguins. Crosby had been eligible to sign an extension on July 1. While talks dragged on longer than expected, Crosby said recently he wasn’t worried about something getting done before the season began.
September 17, 2024 4:35 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush. Cousins hit hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the final drive.
September 17, 2024 4:39 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have benched 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young after the second-year quarterback’s rough start to the season. Andy Dalton will take over as the starter for Carolina’s next game on Sunday at Las Vegas. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he made the decision after watching game film from Sunday’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
September 17, 2024 4:41 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are signing backup quarterback Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad as Tua Tagovailoa remains out with the third diagnosed concussion of his pro career. Coach Mike McDaniel confirmed the move first reported by NFL Network, saying that Huntley is being added for depth behind current No. 2 quarterback Skylar Thompson. Tagovailoa remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol after leaving a 31-10 loss to Buffalo last Thursday. McDaniel said there’s still not enough information to know whether Tagovailoa will go on injured reserve. Thompson likely will start when Miami plays at Seattle on Sunday.
