NFL LIVE | “Steelers get tough Aaron Rodgers update after George Pickens trade” – Ryan Clark warns
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for you on ESPN 2. So to gear you up, we’re looking back at the best games of the 2024 season. Today we go back to week five in the wild overtime win by Kyle’s Ravens in Cincinnati. The Ravens arrive in Cincinnati. From the first snap to the last physicality come through. Caught for the touchdown by T. Higgins. Throws a short pass to Chase. Nice blocking out the Jamar to the 40. Spinning to the 50. That’s a foot race. Jamar to the 30. Touchdown. You do your part. You keep fighting. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Lamar bobbles the snap after picking up off the turf. He’s being stiff arms a man. Stam Hubard and finally slings in the back of the end zone. Touchdown. Isaiah likely. Unbelievable. Intercepted. Picked off Marlin Humphrey. Lamar dropped the snap. The ball’s on the ground. The Bengals have the football. Kick is on the way. It is no good and sudden death continues in Cincinnati. They toss it left. Henry to the 50, 45, 404, 2520. Tackled at the six. Kick is up. It is good and the Ravens have won in overtime in Cincinnati. All right. Again, we have Kyle Vanoi in studio with us today and tomorrow. Kyle, what do you remember about that game? I love winning. Anytime you can win, life’s better. Just watching that those highlights was awesome. That game was not fun for the defense, but it felt like it was fun for us eventually winning. I mean, you guys saw in the highlights Lamar Jackson’s I mean EA Madden highlight reel was amazing. Stiff arm Sam Hubard enjoy retirement. Um, sorry about that play, but uh, stiff arming him and then throwing the touchdown pass to likely I mean that’s the highlight of the whole day. And then thank you Marlin for getting that interception. That interception was key and a crucial part. They were marching and to get that interception changed the game. Finally a defensive player made a play. No one no one fact checked this Laura, but on that that 65 yd tear screen to Jamar Chase, you were off the field because if you were on that, I would have got him. I would have chased him. By the way, how about an overtime after that the botch snab, right? Lamar fumbles it and they return it to like your 38. Run, run, run. Three plays in a row by Cincinnati. You get from the 38 to 35 and they miss that field goal. Yeah, thank you. You have Joe Burrow and two wide receivers. Throw the football a little bit. And I’m sure they will after this year where they they’re paying them all that money. Yeah, good point. And Kyle, listen, if they had done that though and potentially won the game, Kyle wouldn’t have been able to sit here and smile and say how much he loves winning. A reminder, by the way, because that got me really excited for the season. We’re going to find out about all the great matchups like that one on our NFL schedule release show next Wednesday night, 8 Eastern on ESPN 2. Our crew here, we’re going to take you through all of it. Each team schedule in the annual 2-hour special. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Don’t miss it. All right, back to some top stories with Adam Sheper. Let’s start, Adam, with Clowny. What’s going on there? Well, Laura, any chance Kyle’s going to host that schedule release show on Wednesday night? I think he should. Clowny released today after a five sack season in Carolina. The Panthers had been looking to trade him before and during the NFL draft. Never could find a taker. And when they couldn’t find a taker for Clowny and his salary, they moved on from him today. One season in Carolina. Clowny now becomes a free agent. As for some more Panther news, the running back Jonathan Brooks placed on the physically unable to perform list today, which means his 2025 season is over. He’s recovering from his second torn ACL in as many years by being placed on tough today. You now have the full year to try to come back in 2026. And moments ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the George Pickins trade is final and official. He’s passed as physical with the Cowboys. The Cowboys get their new receiver and now there are some wide receiver questions in Pittsburgh without George Pickins. The Steelers did trade for DK Metaf. But minus Pickings, they now will have to rely on wide receivers like last year’s second round draft pick Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin, Robert Woods, the free agent acquisition, Scotty Miller. a lot of question marks, but the Steelers feel very comfortable and confident that they have the right group of wide receivers to help make a difference this season against Kyle’s Ravens. Yeah. Um, still trying to figure out exactly what’s going on at quarterback there. Of course, we’ll continue to keep an eye on that. Now, trading Pickins is the latest change for the Steelers skill position players after Russell Wilson and Naji Harris left in free agency earlier this off season. Pittsburgh did sign Mason Rudolph to a two-year deal. He’s currently on top of the QB depth chart while Jaylen Warren and rookie Caleb Johnson will likely split time at running back. Here’s Pickkins speaking less than an hour ago. I’m grateful to be here and I’m grateful to play with Dak. As far as like roles and stuff like that, I’m just here to work. Whatever role finds me best is where I’m going to find myself. And I feel like growth for me is taking a great direction and me coming to the Cowboys. I’m kind of where my feet are right now to be honest. I’m not really thinking about contract talks. I’m just glad to be here at Cowboys right now and you know trying to build a winning culture saying all the right things. Uh where does Pickin’s departure though leave this Steelers offense? Kind of feels like DK Medaf might challenge for the NFL target record this year. I mean I know that Adam just mentioned how Pittsburgh feels more confident in their other receivers besides DK Medaf. Maybe the public does. But I think about this Kyle. You guys are game planning right now. if the game was being played this Sunday against the Steelers. Right now, you’re saying somebody besides number 14’s going to beat us because nobody else on that offense in my estimation stresses and scares a defense throughout the week other than DK Metaf. So, to me, it makes me nervous. Now, the good thing is that DK Medaf has shown himself capable of becoming this game-breaking talent and he I think had some frustrations at time in Seattle because there were games in which he was far too invisible for a player of his caliber. So, it should be an opportunity that DK Medaf relishes. I’m just not so sure that if they played a game tomorrow, they’re that much better than what they were last year. Yeah, I you know, my counter to that would be Pat Pat Frith. I I don’t think he gets enough credit. I do think he’s very very valuable in the middle of the of the offense. Jaylen Warren, he’s a top running back. It’ll be nice to see him get a a full workload as well as see Caleb Johnson, that new rookie running back from Iowa. I thought he was one of the best running backs in the draft. So, it’ll be interesting to see how those guys do. My biggest question mark, what you uh suggested earlier was the quarterback situation. That to me is the biggest thing. And I believe they’re gearing up for next year uh for that quarterback position. I think they’re comfortable with Mason Rudolph. I think he handles uh what Mike Tomlin wants at the quarterback position offensively, but I think they’re gonna get a bunch of draft picks and then go all in with a big big day draft trade. Got my mock ready. Before I get my point, I got a question for Kyle. Kyle, how many yards do you think that the Steelers running backs ran for against you guys in the playoffs? I don’t know. I hope zero. 29, which is pretty close to zero, right? 20. I mean, they could not run the ball. And I and I really think that’s a priority to your point about the Becks that they’re making, not just with the Pickkins trade, but like a lot of the moves that they’ve made. Um, first of all, Caleb Johnson, great big zone running back, perfect Smith, perfect fit, pardon me, for Arthur Smith’s offense. They’ve invested in the offensive line pretty heavily over the last two drafts. Even the receivers that they’ve brought in. Robert Woods, we know what he’s there to do. Block. Roman Wilson, who they drafted, he’s a good blocker. So, I I wouldn’t be surprised if this offense this year looks a lot more like Arthur Smith’s offense in Atlanta. The only problem is he’s running into the same problem he ran into Atlanta, which is no quarterback, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re better at running the football. Yeah. You know, earlier we did your list, Kyle, of the toughest quarterbacks that you faced. And and you had Aaron Rogers on the list, but you said something I thought was really important. You said a younger Aaron Rogers. And listen, we were all better when we’re younger, right? But well, maybe not you, but 2024 Pro Bowl. He’s gotten better as he’s gone along. Do you think Aaron Rodgers has anything left in him to to elevate the Steelers offense if he does end up going there? Yeah, I actually do. I think when you bring a talent like Aaron Rodgers has been his whole career. I believe he still has a lot left in the tank. I think we saw it at times with the New York Jets last year. I also think they’re a couple missed field goals away from having a different conversations about Aaron Rodgers. Um I think he is still has the arm to do it. I still think he has the competitive spirit, but it’s just that want to at the end of the day. Does he want to continue to go out on and do the daily task of what a quarterback has to do to get ready each and every week? I don’t know. I hope not. Even though if he does, great. Let’s play football. I love it. I thought you brought up a really good
