Black & Yellow | Pittsburgh Steelers M26

[Captain Canada]

Derek Stingley Jr taking at least two from Will Howard.

[JohnStJohn1987]

Glen Wolff? Damn, Cleveland didn't stick with Sanders very long did they haha

the jersey gets another name

Hahaha

[ShireNiner]

In William Howard we trust

[redsox907]

Will Howard against that defense

toot it up my boy

boy wishing he was back on the bench

Will Howard’s legacy starts here

ehhhhh

Derek Stingley Jr taking at least two from Will Howard.

surprisingly they played him off DK all game

In William Howard we trust

*in the defense we trust

[redsox907]

Steelers Survive Another Gritty Game Behind Defensive Stand


CJ Stroud had his chances, but in the end Coop came up clutch again. Facing 4th-and-goal, CJ Stroud threw up a prayer to Tank Dell that Cooper DeJean covered from the jump, swatting the potential overtime forcing touchdown to the turf to end the game.

ScoringSummary

Team	Q	Time	Play	Houston	Pittsburgh
	1st	6:48	DK Metcalf, 6 Yd Pass From Will Howard	0	7
	2nd	9:52	Tyler Bass, 33 Yd FG	3	7
	2nd	5:01	Brandon Aubrey, 29 Yd FG	3	10
	2nd	0:00	Brandon Aubrey, 30 Yd FG	3	13
	4th	5:31	Tyler Bass, 17 Yd FG	6	13

Pittsburgh, PA. - For the second consecutive week, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense held their opponent out of the end zone. For the second consecutive week, Cooper DeJean made the play that sealed it. And for the fourth consecutive week, the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to win a football game.

Whether that is sustainable is a conversation for another day. For now, 4-2 is 4-2.

Pittsburgh defeated the Houston Texans 13-6 at NRG Stadium Sunday afternoon in a game that was uglier than the scoreline suggests and more nerve-wracking than a seven point margin implies. The Steelers grinded, survived a pair of Will Howard interceptions on back-to-back fourth quarter drives, and ultimately leaned on their defense to preserve a victory that keeps one of the more unlikely stories of the 2028 NFL season firmly intact.

The tone was set on the very first drive of the afternoon. C.J. Stroud attempted a quarterback sneak on third-and-inches, a routine call that became anything but when Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy met him at the line of scrimmage, rocked the former Buckeye, and forced a fumble that Pittsburgh recovered in Houston territory. Four plays later Will Howard found DK Metcalf on a fade route for the game's only touchdown, and the Steelers never trailed.

From there, both offenses largely went quiet.

Houston had their moments. An explosive return and a pair of big completions to tight end Gunnar Helm moved the Texans into scoring range early in the second quarter, but Payton Wilson dropped into the backfield on second down and buried Stroud for a sack that ultimately forced a Tyler Bass field goal. It was a sequence that defined the afternoon for the Texans — enough firepower to move the ball, not quite enough to finish.

The fourth quarter provided the most drama. Howard threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions, gifting Houston the field position and the momentum to potentially steal the game. Twice the Texans drove into scoring range. Twice Pittsburgh's defense stiffened. T.J. Watt and Kayvon Thibodeaux converged on Stroud on third down to force another Bass field goal on the first opportunity. On the second, with Houston at the goal line on fourth down and the season potentially hanging in the balance, DeJean tracked a fade route to Tank Dell in the back of the end zone and swatted it away to seal the victory.

Scheelhaase was candid in his postgame assessment, balancing genuine satisfaction with an honest acknowledgment of what still needs to change.

"We're fighting for our lives out there and winning," he said. "But at some point you have to win games — not just not lose them. We're surviving on the defense, and I've got to use this bye week to get the offense back on track."

It is a fair and necessary distinction. The Steelers are 4-2, which is remarkable given the circumstances. They've also scored under 20 points in their last two contests, a number that will eventually catch up with them if Howard cannot find more consistency on the other side of the break.

Pittsburgh enters the bye week with time to address it. The Steelers return to action following the rest week with a trip to Miami to face the Dolphins.


Will Howard | 7/14, 131 Yds, TD, 2 INT; 1 Att, 8 Yds
CJ Stroud | 27/38, 248 Yds; 2 Att, 10 Yds, FMB

Quinshon Judkins | 15 Att, 89 Yds
Joe Mixon | 14 Att, 32 Yds

DK Metcalf | 3 Rec, 99 Yds, TD
Gunnar Helm | 5 Rec, 87 Yds

LB Payton Wilson | 7 Tkl, 5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
EDGE TJ Watt | 6 Tkl, 5 TFL, 0.5 Sack
DT Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy | 3 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack, FF
CB Martin Emerson Jr | 7 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT
SS Maxen Hook | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT
EDGE Will Anderson Jr | 3 Tkl, 2 TFL

[Count]

didn't even try to throw the football

[Captain Canada]

Judkins goes down and you guys are cooked to hell.

[Caesar]

Just put a running back at QB and bring back the Wildcat at this point

[redsox907]

didn't even try to throw the football

we peaked on the first throw

Judkins goes down and you guys are cooked to hell.

Just put a running back at QB and bring back the Wildcat at this point

not a bad idea all things considered

[redsox907]

Anthony Richardson Preliminary Hearing Set For November

Indianapolis, IN. - While the Pittsburgh Steelers used their bye week to rest and regroup following a surprising 4-2 start to the 2028 season, the other story hanging over the franchise took a significant step forward Tuesday as sources with knowledge of the proceedings confirmed that a preliminary hearing in the Anthony Richardson case has been scheduled for November 14th in Marion County Criminal Court in Indianapolis.

The hearing will mark the most consequential moment in the case since Richardson's arrest on July 14th and his subsequent arraignment in late July, where he entered a not guilty plea on charges of Voluntary Manslaughter, Carrying a Firearm While Intoxicated, Carrying a Firearm in a Licensed Establishment, and Obstruction of Justice.

The months between arraignment and preliminary hearing have been anything but quiet. Richardson's attorney Marcus Holloway has been aggressive in filing pre-trial motions, most notably a motion challenging the applicability of the Voluntary Manslaughter charge under Indiana's self-defense statutes. Holloway's central argument has remained consistent since the night of Richardson's arrest — that his client acted on a reasonable belief of imminent deadly force, based on fiancée Jada Richardson's account that the man who robbed her at gunpoint was armed.

Marion County Prosecutor Sandra Elkins has countered each motion methodically, maintaining that the undisputed fact of Christiano Gonzalez's unarmed status at the time of the shooting undermines any claim of reasonable self-defense, particularly given that Richardson pursued Gonzalez rather than retreating. Elkins has also continued to press the obstruction element of the case, pointing to Richardson's departure from the scene as evidence of consciousness of guilt in the immediate aftermath.

Sources familiar with both legal teams told ESPN that the full body of evidence has now been exchanged in discovery — including security footage from The Patron Saint and surrounding blocks, the complete ballistics report, toxicology results confirming Richardson's .110 blood alcohol content at the time of his arrest, and Jada Richardson's formal witness statement given to IMPD in the hours following the shooting. Legal observers noted that Jada Richardson's' statement is expected to be among the most scrutinized pieces of evidence at the preliminary hearing, as it forms the foundation of Holloway's self-defense argument.

"The Jada Richardson statement is really the crux of everything," one legal analyst familiar with Indiana criminal procedure told ESPN. "If she clearly communicated to Richardson that the suspect was armed, and Richardson acted on that information in good faith, Holloway has a legitimate argument. The prosecution's job is to convince the court that no reasonable person in Richardson's position would have pursued an already fleeing suspect and discharged a weapon. Both arguments have merit, and that's exactly why this case is so difficult."

For Richardson personally, sources describe a man who has spent the fall in a state of quiet exhaustion. He has been present at his mother's home in Indianapolis for much of the legal process, largely out of the public eye since his attorney's press conference on the day of his arrest. He has not spoken publicly, has maintained no social media presence, and according to those close to him has been focused primarily on his young son and on supporting Jada Richardson, who sources say has found the prolonged public nature of the case deeply difficult.

Richardson has watched the Steelers' surprising 4-2 start from a distance, and sources say the team's resilience has been both encouraging and painful for the 25-year-old quarterback.

"He's proud of those guys," one person close to Richardson told ESPN. "And he understands what he cost them. That's something he carries every single day."

The NFL has maintained its silence on the matter beyond the initial Commissioner's Exempt List designation in July, consistent with its stated position of waiting for the legal process to reach a conclusion before conducting its own Personal Conduct Policy review. League sources confirmed to ESPN that Goodell's office has been monitoring the proceedings closely and that a formal suspension determination is expected to follow whatever outcome the court process produces.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, continue to operate in a state of carefully managed uncertainty. General Manager Omar Khan has repeatedly declined to comment on the specifics of Richardson's contract situation, but sources inside the organization acknowledge that the financial handcuffs created by Richardson's unresolved cap number have made an already complicated roster management situation significantly more difficult. With a growing list of players seeking contract extensions and just $8 million in available cap space, the Steelers are essentially frozen until the legal process provides the resolution that allows them to formally move on.

The November 14th preliminary hearing is not a trial. It will not produce a verdict. But it will determine whether the case proceeds to trial as currently charged, whether any charges are reduced or dismissed, and perhaps most significantly — it will give both legal teams their clearest look yet at how a jury might ultimately respond to the evidence. Legal observers told ESPN that preliminary hearings in high profile cases of this nature frequently serve as the catalyst for plea negotiations, as both sides gain a more complete picture of their respective strengths and vulnerabilities.

For Anthony Richardson, for the Gonzalez family, and for a Pittsburgh Steelers organization desperately waiting for clarity, November 14th cannot come soon enough.