The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't get to celebrate their Week 3 primetime win exactly how they anticipated. After holding off the Raiders to secure a 23-18 victory on the road on Sunday Night Football, the Steelers had a reason to celebrate. Mike Tomlin's team advanced to 2-1 on the season and now sits atop the AFC North entering Week 4. It was also the first time this team had beaten the Raiders on the road since 1995.
Early in the morning, however, Pittsburgh's victory party was put on hold when their airplane was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City. KDKA TV reported that the plane landed in Kansas City just before 5 a.m. Eastern Time. The report confirms that the plane was dealing with an oil pressure failure in one of the engines.
Team spokesperson, Burt Lauten posted that "everyone on the plane is safe and we are making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today."
At 10:15 a.m. on Monday morning, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers team remained in Kansas City following their emergency landing.
Update: The #Steelers remain in Kansas City, where they have been stuck since their original flight back from Las Vegas made an emergency landing early this morning because of engine trouble. I’m told the current hope is to have a new plane and depart around 11:30 a.m. CT. https://t.co/w3uM7RkRZD
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 25, 2023
It could be a tiring week for the Steelers
It's hard to imagine that any member of the Pittsburgh Steelers got much sleep last night. Now their Monday will consist of hanging out at the terminal until they make their way back home. This obviously doesn't seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but they've got a lot going on in a short amount of time.
In a matter of just a few days, the Steelers will have gone from the West Coast and back to Pittsburgh before shooting across the country again to Houston for their second consecutive road game. The Steelers traveled less than any team in the NFL last season, and they aren't used to jumping across time zones for back-to-back games.
While they won't experience jet lag like some teams can, this doesn't give them much time back in The Burgh to prepare for a 1:00 p.m. ET game against the Texans six days from now -- especially considering that they still haven't made it back home yet and that they will have to turn around again and leave soon.
I'm not looking to make excuses for the Pittsburgh Steelers already in their Week 4 contests against Houston, but it's easy to see how this team could be drained with what they are currently dealing with and after coming off a hard-hitting Sunday Night Football game. Let's hope they get plenty of time to rest up and study before facing the Texans.