September 21, 2019 3:47 am
(AP)- Pittsburgh running back Franco Harris’ scoop of a deflected pass and subsequent run for the winning touchdown in a 1972 playoff victory against Oakland has been voted the greatest play in NFL history. A nationwide panel of 68 media members chose the “Immaculate Reception” as the top play with 3,270 points and 39 first-place votes. Second in the balloting was Dwight Clark’s TD catch from Joe Montana that lifted San Francisco past Dallas to win the 1981 NFC championship.
September 20, 2019 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph says he’s not going to change now that he’s filling in for Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger is out for the season with an elbow injury, opening the door for Rudolph to make the first start of his NFL career when the Steelers visit San Francisco. Rudolph says he’s been preparing as if he’s the starter since the day the Steelers selected him in the 2018 draft and he’s eager to help the Steelers emerge from an early 0-2 hole.
September 19, 2019 3:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is trying to get up to speed quickly with his new team. The Steelers acquired Fitzpatrick from Miami for three draft picks. Fitzpatrick joins a defense that was pushed around at times in losses New England and Seattle. Fitzpatrick said he didn’t feel out of place during his first practice with the Steelers. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said he plans to play Fitzpatrick extensively when the team visits San Francisco.
September 18, 2019 3:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez has been arrested on charges of pornography and soliciting a child. Vazquez was taken into custody Tuesday morning by State Police on one count of computer pornography/solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors. Both charges are felonies. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it began investigating the 28-year-old Vazquez in August after learning of an alleged sexual relationship between Vazquez and a teenage girl living in Lee County, Florida. Authorities say Vazquez, who lives in Saint Cloud, Florida, and the victim began the relationship when the girl was 13. The girl, now 15, allegedly received a video text message from Vazquez in July in which he was performing a sex act. Vazquez also allegedly texted the girl to ask if she wanted to meet for a sexual encounter following the end of the baseball season. The Pirates said they have informed the MLB commissioner’s office and expect Vazquez to be placed on administrative leave.
September 16, 2019 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, including a 28-yard rainbow to DK Metcalf midway through the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Seahawks held off the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-26 on Sunday. The Steelers lost starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a right elbow injury late in the first half and fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2013 despite solid play from backup Mason Rudolph, who threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to Vance McDonald in relief. Roethlisberger began flexing his right arm after an incompletion late in the second quarter. He stayed in to finish the drive before jogging to the locker room. When the 37-year-old QB emerged for the second half, he was wearing a white cap while Rudolph, taken in the third round of the 2018 draft, took the first meaningful snaps of his career. Rudolph completed 12 of 19 passes for 112 yards, the two scores and an interception but couldn’t quite keep pace with Wilson and the Seahawks (2-0). Wilson was 29 of 35 for 300 yards and the three TDs, becoming the fifth-fastest quarterback in league history to reach 200 career touchdown passes (114 games). Wilson also ran four times for 24 yards, most of it coming on Seattle’s final drive as the Seahawks protected a two-point lead. A week after escaping Cincinnati with a one-point win, a game in which coach Pete Carroll said his team wasn’t particularly crisp, the Seahawks took advantage of a series of mental mistakes by the Steelers to win in Pittsburgh for the first time in 20 years.
Wilson’s first touchdown pass to Will Dissly – a 14-yarder in the second quarter – came after Steelers defensive tackle Dan McCullers was called for a personal foul on a field goal attempt by Seattle. The Seahawks took the first down instead of the points, and on the next snap Wilson hit a soaring Dissly for the score. Seattle went in front early in the second half when a pass from Rudolph to Donte Moncrief went through the receiver’s hands, smacked off his facemask and landed in the arms of Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald. Wilson found Dissly again for a 12-yard score seven plays later. A 37-yard touchdown sprint by Rashaad Penny put Seattle up 21-13 late in the third quarter before Rudolph guided Pittsburgh 75 yards for a score, ending a 12-play drive with an 8-yard flip to get the Steelers within 21-19. Rudolph tried to hit JuJu Smith-Schuster on the 2-point conversion attempt, but it was picked off. Pittsburgh had the Seahawks backed up on Seattle’s ensuing possession. The Seahawks had a third-and-20 when Wilson flung it deep for Tyler Lockett. The pass fell incomplete, but Carroll challenged the play, claiming Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds interfered with Lockett. The 38-yard penalty was enforced after review. Three plays later, Wilson found Metcalfe streaking into the end zone to restore Seattle’s nine-point lead. It was just enough to give the Seahawks their first 2-0 start since 2013, when they went on to win the Super Bowl.
September 14, 2019 4:16 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Despite being listed as questionable on the injury report, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey says he will play in Sunday’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Five other starters who missed practice time this week all were cleared for Sunday. Cornerback Joe Haden also is questionable and did not sound as optimistic as Pouncey that he could face the Seahawks.
September 12, 2019 3:42 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Sam Davis, the guard who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls in the 1970s, has died. He was 75. Davis was found dead Tuesday at New Life Personal Care in McKeesport southeast of Pittsburgh. Davis, who suffered from dementia and was legally blind, had been reported missing from the facility earlier in the day.
September 10, 2019 3:44 am
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Derek Carr threw a touchdown pass on the opening drive of the season, rookie Josh Jacobs ran for two scores and the Oakland Raiders responded to a tumultuous week surrounding former receiver Antonio Brown by beating the Denver Broncos 24-16 on Monday night. The Raiders (1-0) took out all the frustration over the drama surrounding Brown with a convincing win over the AFC West rival Broncos (0-1). The offensive line cleared holes for Jacobs and protected Carr, and the defense harassed Joe Flacco into three sacks and kept Denver out of the end zone until 2:15 remained in the game. The win spoiled the Denver debuts for Flacco and coach Vic Fangio and ended the NFL’s longest opening weekend winning streak at seven games.
September 9, 2019 3:09 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jack Flaherty had another strong start in his scintillating second half, scattering five hits over eight electric innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The 23-year-old Flaherty (10-7) struck out 10 and walked just one to win for the sixth time in his last eight starts and drop his post All-Star break ERA to 0.76. Carlos Martinez worked a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save. St. Louis has won 8 of 11 overall. The Cardinals dominated the Pirates this season, capturing 14 of the 19 meetings. Paul Goldschmidt had an RBI double for St. Louis, and Harrison Bader added a run-scoring single off Pittsburgh rookie James Marvel (0-1). Matt Carpenter went 2 for 3 while starting at third base and is hitting .400 (6 for 15) in September as the veteran tries to shake out of a season-long slump. Marvel, a 36th-round pick in the 2015 draft, was solid in his first major-league start after piling up 16 victories across Double-A and Triple-A this season. Marvel gave up two runs and five hits in five-plus innings with two walks and two strikeouts. It just wasn’t quite enough to keep pace with Flaherty, who has given up just three earned runs in his last 56 innings dating back to Aug. 1. The Pirates had their chances. Kevin Newman led off the first with a double but never advanced. Jose Osuna doubled leading off the fifth and Miguel Cabrera followed with a single but Flaherty escaped after Jacob Stallings hit into an inning-ending double play. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle and second baseman Adam Frazier were both ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes. Hurdle was tossed by home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz after Ortiz called a borderline pitch to Frazier a strike. Frazier followed Hurdle to the clubhouse moments later when he disagreed with Ortiz after taking a called third strike at the bottom of the zone. Flaherty made his 10th scoreless start for the Cardinals, tied with Mort Cooper in 1942 for fifth-most in franchise history.
September 8, 2019 7:14 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Sean Clifford threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns and No. 15 Penn State overcame a halftime deficit to beat Buffalo 45-13 on Saturday night. Trailing 10-7 at half, the Nittany Lions (1-0) took the lead for good when John Reid ran back an interception 37 yards for a touchdown early in the third. Clifford opened the scoring with a 28-yard pass to Jahan Dotson on Penn State’s second drive of the game. He tossed a pair of TDs to tight end Pat Freiermuth in the third quarter and Noah Cain added a 2-yard TD run to give Penn State a 35-13 lead heading into the fourth. Jake Pinegar added a 32-yard field goal for the Nittany Lions and Clifford found Dotson again in the fourth. Clifford finished as Penn State’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 49 yards. Jaret Patterson led Buffalo (1-1) with 75 yards on 23 carries. Matt Myers was 16 for 31 for 236 yards with a touchdown pass to tight end Julien Bourassa late in the second quarter. Alex McNulty kicked a pair of field goals for the Bulls.
