The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
ALEX HATCHWELL FROM ALDERGROVE, BC, CANADA: I believe Louis Lipps scored 3 touchdowns in his first game with the Steelers. I also recall he had over 200 receiving yards that day. Is either true, and if so, where does it rank in NFL lore for rookies?
ANSWER: Louis Lipps entered the NFL as the No. 1 pick (23rd overall) in the 1984 NFL Draft from Southern Mississippi, and his regular season debut came against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 2 at Three Rivers Stadium. Lipps was not a starter that day – John Stallworth and Calvin Sweeney started at WR along with TE Bennie Cunningham, RBs Walter Abercrombie and Frank Pollard, and QB David Woodley. The Steelers lost that game, 37-27, but the offense put up some numbers. The running game was ineffective, but the QBs – Woodley who would be replaced by Mark Malone midway through the third quarter – combined to complete 22-of-41 (53.7 percent) for 458 yards, with 3 TDs, 2 INTs, and a rating of 97.4. Stallworth was the team's leading receiver with 8 catches for 167 yards (20.9 average) including a 29-yard touchdown, but Lipps immediately established himself as dynamic with the ball in his hands. He caught 6 passes for 183 yards (30.5 average) including touchdowns of 80 and 21 yards. Lipps also had a 25-yard punt return. To your question: the NFL rookie record for receiving yards in a game is 266, held by JaMarr Chase; and the rookie record for receiving TDs in a game is shared by Jerry Butler (1979) and Harlon Hill (1954), each with 4.
- Download and listen to the Asked & Answered Podcast here: Apple Podcast | Spotify
KARL WARHEIT FROM HOLLYWOOD, FL: What did we get in return for trading George Pickens to the Cowboys? I understand he was a problem child, but he seems to be behaving and doing great at the Cowboys.
ANSWER: This is the last time I'm going to include this question, so I hope all those interested are paying attention. The Steelers sent WR George Pickens and a No. 6 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft to Dallas in exchange for a No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a No. 5 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
GEORGE BENNETT FROM MT ZION, IL: The Steelers seem to struggle in Thursday night games. I remember when Sunday night football first became a regular occurrence, Bill Cowher's teams also struggled. How does Bill Cowher's Sunday night record compare to Mike Tomlin's Thursday night record?
ANSWER: I am going to answer your question, but allow me to make this point: any comparison of a Sunday night to Thursday night really has no value, because a Sunday night game is simply played at a different time and there is no short week of preparation attached to it. A Thursday night game taxes both teams with a short week of preparation, and there is an extra burden on the road team because one of the 3 days of preparation is also a travel day. Bill Cowher's record on Sunday night was 8-7; Mike Tomlin's record on Thursday nights currently is 9-12.
HENRY DINGFELDER FROM AIKEN, SC: The Steelers seem to have a problem dealing with Joe Flacco, or maybe it is my imagination so here is the question. What is Joe Flacco's record playing against the Steelers? Also how many times has he been sacked in those games?
ANSWER: In games Joe Flacco started, the Steelers are 11-12 in the regular season, and 2-1 in the playoffs. Remember, those numbers would not include Flacco leading the Colts to a 27-24 victory over the Steelers on Sept. 29, 2024, because Anthony Richardson was the starting quarterback in that game. In the 23 regular season games vs. the Steelers, Flacco was sacked 60 times; in the three playoff games he was sacked 9 times.
JAMES MELTON FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG, PA: What is the Steelers record the week after a Thursday game?
ANSWER: The Steelers have played 35 times on Thursdays, with the first appearance being in 1939 when the franchise faced the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day that year. Rather than dive that deep into franchise history, here is the Steelers record on the week following a Thursday game during the Mike Tomlin era: As mentioned in a previous answer, Mike Tomlin's record on Thursday night is 9-12, including last Thursday night's loss in Cincinnati. His record in games following a Thursday appearance is 14-6, pending the outcome of Sunday night's game vs. Green Bay.
RICHARD CHADWICK FROM CENTRE, AL: The way Joe Flacco got the ball out quickly set the pace for the game Thursday night and nullified our pass-rush. Any advice on countering this the next time we meet the Bengals?
ANSWER: The Bengals, who entered that game ranked 32nd in the NFL in rushing offense, ran it 23 times for 142 yards (6.2 average) against the Steelers, and theirs is not a running attack that's helped by a mobile quarterback. Chase Brown came into that game averaging 2.7 per attempt and he had 108 yards on 11 carries (9.8 average) vs. the Steelers. This level of success on the ground allowed Cincinnati to avoid a lot of obvious passing situations, and especially passing situations where it was necessary to pass-protect long enough for routes to develop farther down the field. The way I see it, against those 2 receivers and with a QB who is accurate and experienced and on-time, the running game has to be minimized to the extent of being a non-factor. Then a defense can get after the quarterback with pressure packages.
STEFAN PISOCKI FROM WILMINGTON, DE: Now that I have been tortured for 2 days watching clips from Thursday Night Football, I have to ask, am I the only one who sees JaMarr Chase blatantly stiff-arming Jalen Ramsey enroute to catching a touchdown? Did I miss a rule change that allows offensive pass interference?
ANSWER: As I explained in the answer above, the Steelers pressure largely was nullified by a Bengals running attack that was effective enough on a consistent basis to avoid a lot of obvious passing situations. When there isn't pressure, the coverage options are either zones or man-to-man, and it's virtually impossible to shadow-and-chase the likes of JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins. They are big and physical receivers, and when a defensive back tries to give as good as he gets, the calls typically are going to favor the offense. That's the way the NFL is.
MIKE KERR FROM KEMAH, TX: Late in the fourth quarter of the Bengals game, Tee Higgens caught a ball and had a clear run to the end zone. Rather than taking the touchdown, he gave himself up to run down the clock and kick a field goal and win the game, not giving the Steelers and Aaron Rogers a chance with extra time on the clock to do the same. My question is why couldn't Pat Freiermuth do the same when he was running open for a touchdown. He could have given himself up at the 1-yard line to allow the running down of the clock and giving the Steelers a much better chance of winning the game.
ANSWER: A huge difference in those two circumstances, in my opinion. Tee Higgins' 28-yard catch-and-run in which he gave himself up at the Steelers' 7-yard line came with 1:39 left, after the 2-minute warning timeout, with the Steelers down to 1 timeout, with the ball at the 7-yard line, and the Bengals needing only a field goal to win. And the Bengals had to do nothing more risky than have their veteran QB take a knee until it was time to trot out a placekicker who has a career success rate of 81.9 percent.
Pat Freiermuth's touchdown came with 2:21 left, with the Bengals having 2 timeouts and the 2-minute warning, and because the Steelers were trailing, 30-24, they needed a touchdown. You cannot assume a touchdown with the same certainty with which you can assume a less-than-40-yard field goal by a veteran placekicker in perfect conditions. I believe you're allowing your hindsight to over-think the situation.
MARK BARBUSTIAK FROM ATCO, NJ: From the travel photos posted on Steelers.com, the team obviously takes a charter flight to Cincinnati for the game. Baltimore is about 40 miles closer than Cincinnati, so I'd guess that they also take a charter flight to Baltimore. Cleveland is only about 135 miles from Pittsburgh, which is a little over a 2-hour drive. Do the Steelers take a charter flight or buses to Cleveland?
ANSWER: For most of a series that began in 1950, the Steelers take buses to Cleveland, because of the distance between Pittsburgh and the Downtown/stadium area is more efficiently reached by buses than the distance between the Cleveland airport and the Downtown/stadium area, when travel time to the Pittsburgh airport and flight time to Cleveland are added. There was a brief time during the 1970s when the Steelers took charter flights to Cleveland, and Myron Cope always opined that happened because Chuck Noll had a sister who lived on the West Side of Cleveland, which is close to the airport, and they liked to have dinner together when the Steelers played in Cleveland.
SHAWN BITTNER FROM JACKSONVILLE, NC: Arthur Smith has been linked to the head coaching job at Tennessee. Do the Steelers have any say on his availability during the season?
ANSWER: I think it may even go above the Steelers' say in the situation you describe. I have trouble believing the NFL would allow a coach is who under contract to one team during the season being allowed to accept the head coaching job of another team in the same season.
