Steelers Downslide Could Stop Trade Deadline Moves
The Pittsburgh Steelers may be in the middle of a spiral that could end up costing them the season.
After two straight losses that have been headline by a lack of adequate defensive play, the Steelers are facing the top team in the league, the Indianapolis Colts. With the trade deadline close to approaching, the discussion has also turned towards whether the team should be involved at the deadline.
At this point, it is unclear whether the team could benefit from better talent or better coaching. With that in mind, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke down what he believes the team should do when they get to deadline day. In a chat for the Post-Gazette, Dulac weighed what happened compared to what they may have done if the season had gone better so far.
"They were going to wait and see if they were going to be 6-2 before going all-in on maybe one more significant player," Dulac said. "But they might be staring at 4-4 so they are less inclined - understand everyone, less inclined - to do so."
Dulac is being quite pragmatic, looking at the way that the team has played in order to assess their future in the short term. With that in mind, it seems likely that the Steelers will not be one of the more active teams at the deadline. There are too many that are possible to fix, yet there is also a small chance they pull it all together, and they would not want to part with any significant pieces in that case.
So What Now?
With the Steelers facing a division that seems to improve each week and their defense floundering, they may be best off going for a free agent move in order to move the needle. The free agents remaining are not too enticing, but they may be able to transform a player who has not gotten their fair shot in the league to this point.
Teams that have a top player in the secondary are unlikely to trade them for anything, as they come at a premium these days in the NFL. With that in mind, the Steelers would have to give up significant draft capital in a season where they will host the NFL Draft in order to take a shot on a player who may be on the downturn.
Kevin O’Connell Gets Candid on JJ McCarthy After Vikings’ Imperfect Win
The Minnesota Vikings captured an improbable road victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 9, which helped save the team’s season from the brink while also at least partially reviving both the fans’ and general sporting public’s faith in the efficacy of head coach Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have been under fire for weeks after letting both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones leave in free agency, and doing so in favor of a then entirely unproven 22-year-old quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy started two games to begin the year, playing mostly poorly save for a brilliant fourth-quarter in the season-opener against the Chicago Bears, which won the Vikings that game despite an 11-point deficit. He then suffered a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for six weeks, during which time backup Carson Wentz led Minnesota to a 2-3 record.
McCarthy returned on Sunday at Ford Field, putting up a solid overall performance and making big plays in the clutch. O’Connell spoke glowingly about his second-year QB during the postgame press conference, after McCarthy removed some of the heaping pressure from O’Connell’s shoulders.
We saw a lot of the things that he’s capable of doing. … He will only get better and better. But 2-0 on the road in the NFC North with him making some critical, critical plays for us to win the game.
Just the feel of him playing quarterback, mixed with his athleticism, protected himself a couple times when he did steal us some yardage. …. Just his presence. He’s a young player in a heck of an environment today. Really he’s had three starts, two of which [came] in very difficult road environments. And his poise, him running the show, I thought was matched by him making some big-time throws.
Really proud of the way he competed and battled today.
Kevin O’Connell, Vikings Hit With Accusations of Hubris for Letting Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones Leave in Free Agency
The play of Darnold with the Seattle Seahawks, who are 5-2 heading into a Week 9 matchup with the Washington Commanders on “Sunday Night Football,” and Jones with the Indianapolis Colts, now 7-2 after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, have haunted O’Connell and the Vikings throughout this season.
The decisions to let both walk during the offseason have led to a considerable amount of skepticism and scrutiny in recent weeks.
“They had Daniel Jones last year, let him go. They had Sam Darnold, they let him go,” Danny Heifetz of The Ringer said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on October 22. “[McCarthy is going to have] more pressure on him than any quarterback going into next year.”
“The Vikings had a very difficult situation, decision, where do you pay Darnold $30 or $40 million a year or do you go with McCarthy? And that’s a hard decision,” Heifetz continued. “So it’s not Monday morning quarterbacking, but they clearly made the wrong decision.”
JJ McCarthy Promises More Good Things to Come for Vikings After Upset Victory Against Lions
Heifetz’s point may still turn out accurate, as McCarthy has started just three games in his career. However, he didn’t look like the wrong decision on Sunday as he made clutch plays down the stretch to both win and seal a much-needed victory in Detroit.
McCarthy was 14-of-25 passing for 143 yards, two TDs and one INT along with a rushing touchdown. So he was good, though perhaps not great. But it was his poise and the growth that both the quarterback and his team showed with McCarthy back in the lineup that should have Vikings fans at least somewhat optimistic for the second half of the season.
“Obviously a lot of excitement … and I’m just so proud of the guys,” McCarthy told FOX Sports sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi after the game. “We fought, we had a different energy this week, a different level of focus. But there’s a lot more we can clean up.”
“We haven’t reached our potential,” McCarthy continued. “We haven’t even gotten close yet.”
