Steelers Could Get Major Boost for Patriots Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their final injury report ahead of a Week 3 game at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots, which featured some promising news regarding the status of their first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, who practiced for the first time during the regular season earlier this week, was officially listed with a "questionable" game designation.
The 22-year-old suffered an MCL sprain during the first quarter of the team's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on August 21. There was some fear that he'd require a stint on the reserve/injured list to begin the year, which would've kept him out for at least the first four games, but he ultimately avoided that fate.
Though Harmon still went on to miss the Steelers' Week 1 and 2 contests against the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, the organization's decision to leave him off IR could pay off in spades should he be active vs. New England and the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland during Week 4.
Before going down with his injury, Pro Football Focus credited Harmon with recording four pressures and a sack across 70 total defensive snaps in the preseason.
He's been listed as a starter on each one of Pittsburgh's depth charts, and it's safe to assume that he'll take on a sizable role up front immediately upon returning.
With that being said, however, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin stated earlier in the week that the team will likely limit Harmon's snaps as he works his way back into the swing of things.
"We'll see where he ends up at the end of the week, but I think, if it does come to it, we'll be pretty judicious with his snaps and try to work him back," Austin said. "More importantly, he's probably going to be lacking some football conditioning, football shape. So, you don't want to throw a guy in there that's really not quite ready in those regards.
"I like the progress he's making, and we'll just kind of see where we end up at the end of the week."
Though no official decision has been made on Harmon's availability against the Patriots, it's a good sign that he simply wasn't ruled out.
It does appear as though he is tracking to debut vs. New England, and he should provide a major boost for a Steelers defense that desperately needs one if he does in fact suit up.
Ja’Marr Chase Goes After Justin Jefferson Before Vikings-Bengals
At the heart of the NFL’s No. 1 wide receiver debate, Ja’Marr Chase appears adamant about making former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson his rival.
With the Cincinnati Bengals approaching a Week 3 road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Chase was asked if it would be “allowed” for him to do the “Griddy,” Jefferson’s trademark touchdown celebration.
Chase didn’t have plans to, but with the idea in the air, he showed some consideration — but only if it would upset Jefferson.
“I mean, if he doesn’t want me to do it, I wanna do it,” Chase said. “If he doesn’t want me to do it, then I’m gonna do it, purposely. I wanna piss him off.”
Justin Jefferson Speaks on Rivalry With Ja’Marr Chase Entering Vikings-Bengals Week 3
Since entering the NFL, the former college teammates have paced the NFL as two of the league’s top receivers. Last season, Chase won the triple crown, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17). He also became the first receiver to surpass 1,700 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in a single season.
Meanwhile, Jefferson has been the epitome of consistency, posting the most receiving yards by any player in his first five seasons (7,432).
There are convincing arguments for each player to be named better than the other; however, this week could be a meaningful eye test as both Jefferson and Chase will be playing without their starting quarterbacks. Joe Burrow is out with a toe injury, while J.J. McCarthy is not expected to play after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2.
“It’s always extra when you have a player like that that’s top in the league just as well as I am,” Jefferson said Thursday before the game. “Of course, that competitive aspect is there, but at the end of the day, it’s about our team and it’s about winning.”
Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase? Ranking the NFL WRs by the Numbers
Approaching Sunday’s matchup, CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson did a deep dive into the No. 1 receiver debate with Jefferson and Chase.
In summary, Jefferson has an edge as the best pure route-runner in the league:
Jefferson is the best route runner in the NFL. He leads the NFL in yards per route run (2.63) since entering the league in 2020. Chase ranks in the top 10 (2.27). He’s an elite separator. His career explosive catch rate is actually significantly higher than Chase’s (25% vs. 17%). OK, so Jefferson’s route running has to be phenomenal if he’s going to outpace Chase in that category, given what our eyes tell us about Chase’s otherworldly athleticism.
Jefferson might also have the best hands in the NFL. His career drop rate of 4.3% is lower than Ja’Marr Chase’s at 5.5%…
There’s also the argument that Jefferson has averaged more yards per game than any player in league history without a top-10 quarterback.
“Ja’Marr Chase averages 91.4 receiving yards per game with Burrow in his career and 58.4 in seven games with Jake Browning and Brandon Allen (six of those were started by Browning). Obviously, a smaller sample, but I think that illustrates the value of a superstar quarterback to a degree,” Clawson added.
Chase’s case centers around being the best playmaker in the NFL. His combination of size and speed has helped him lead the league in yards after catch (2,505) and become one of the greatest finishers in league history — posting the most 60-yard touchdowns before turning 26 in league history (12).
For comparison, Jefferson’s play style can be likened to Jerry Rice, while Chase’s playmaking is more akin to Randy Moss in this debate.
Overall, Clawson gave Jefferson the slight edge due to rivaling Chase’s production without the benefits of a superstar quarterback.
Jefferson has also done so despite opposing defenses completely selling out to stop him, boasting the highest double-team rates by a landslide from the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
