Steelers news: Top player grades vs Falcons, Lamar Jackson injury update, and more

The Pittsburgh Steelers are fresh off a road win against the Falcons, and it looks like they might catch a break against the Ravens in Week 14. 

For the first time since Week 17 and 18 of the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers strung together back-to-back wins. Though the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons aren’t premier opponents, a win is a win and fans will take what they can get at this point.

Since their Week 13 victory, Steelers fans have been given a reason to really be optimistic about this team for the first time all season. Since their Week 9 bye, Pittsburgh has a record of 3-1 and are +13 in point differential. Here’s the latest Steelers news.

Steelers news

With a dominant performance against the Falcons, Pat Freiermuth graded out as one of the best tight ends in the NFL this past Sunday — earning an incredible overall grade of 91.1, via Pro Football Focus. Likewise, rookie Connor Heyward had his biggest game of the year (91.6 grade) and came up huge with his first NFL touchdown in Atlanta where his dad used to play. Minkah Fitzpatrick earned the highest grade of the afternoon (92.0) thanks to some excellent plays in coverage — including a game-sealing interception.

In other Steelers news, Pittsburgh becomes the first team since the NFL merger back in 1970 to win 500 games. The only other team to win at least 475 games since the merger is the Dallas Cowboys (480 wins), according to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. Steelers now have a record of 500-317-4 since 1970.

Lamar Jackson news

The most intriguing Steelers news this week pertains to their matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently reported that QB Lamar Jackson is ‘week to week’ with a mild knee sprain. His availability for Sunday’s game against the Steelers is very much in doubt. Pittsburgh may get to face backup Tyler Huntley this week, who put up just 10 points against the Broncos in Week 13.

NFL news

One of the biggest storylines of the week around the NFL is that the Carolina Panthers have released quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Because he failed to play at least 70 percent of snaps, the Cleveland Browns will be getting back a fifth-round draft choice. If Mayfield clears waivers, he will be free to sign with whichever team he chooses.

San Francisco 49ers QB, Jimmy Garoppolo, recently suffered a broken foot, and some speculate that Mayfield may end up with the Niners. The former number-one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has been reduced to a player who can’t even stick on the roster of a bad team like the Panthers. Perhaps he gets one more shot to revive his career.