Steelers news: Team mourns loss of Franco Harris, Pittsburgh preps for Raiders, and more

It’s going to be a tough week in the city of Pittsburgh ahead of their Christmas Eve game against the Raiders. The latest Steelers news has us feeling depressed. 

As we are gearing up for the holidays, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are suddenly reminded of how important it is to spend time with loved ones. The recent passing of a Steel Curtain legend shows us how fragile life can be.

Mike Tomlin is getting his team ready to host the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve in what guarantees to be an emotional event for everyone involved. Unfortunately, the latest Steelers news is hard to digest just days before Christmas. Here’s what you need to know as our team prepares for what will be a very memorable showdown on December 24th.

Steelers news

Yesterday, football fans around the globe woke up to some terribly tragic news. Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Hall of Famer Franco Harris died at the age of 72. As fans join together in mourning, it’s impossible not to think about what this weekend means to the Harris family and the city of Pittsburgh.

Franco was set to be honored by having his number 32 jersey retired on the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception in the most iconic Steelers vs Raiders game of all time. Now, this honoring is going to have a very different feel as Harris won’t be there to soak it all in. This is going to be hard on everybody.

More Steelers news

As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the Raiders, Mike Tomlin’s team is looking very healthy. The head coach confirmed that Kenny Pickett will suit up and start at home on Christmas Eve. This is a big game for the rookie as he will be in the national spotlight for what could be one of the most-watched football events this year.

Steelers fans also received good news this week when it comes to the health of this squad. After dealing with some significant injuries earlier in the year, Pittsburgh looks very healthy as we draw near the weekend. Terrell Edmunds is the only player who missed practice so far this week with an injury, but Tomlin noted in his Week 16 press conference that no injury on the team is expected to be serious or cause players to miss time. They should have a clean bill of health against the Raiders this week.

NFL news

Obviously, the Franco Harris news is the biggest trending topic around the NFL right now, and for obvious reasons. In addition to this tragic news, Google is reportedly very close to bringing NFL’s Sunday Ticket to YouTube, Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports reports.

DirecTV has held the rights to Sunday Ticket since its launch in 1994, but after nearly three decades that could change. Sunday Ticket’s contract with DirecTV is up following the 2022 season, it appears that YouTube is close to a deal to snag Sunday Ticket, which includes the ever-popular NFL RedZone.