October 16, 2025 • 16 mins
Austin talks with Brooke Pryor from ESPN about the Bengals and Steelers on ESPN 1530!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eastco Subs since e three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnatis,
waltered in part by Pennstation EASTCA Subs. Handcrafted hot grilled subs,
fresh cut fries and lemonade. It's all about good taste.
Pennstation East Coast Subs order online today. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our number three of Cincy three
to sixty on this game day, Thursday night football at
PAI Corpse Stadium tonight in a division rival coming to town,
the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers. And to
get the Steelers perspective on tonight's game, let's talk to
the person covering the Steelers for ESPN. Friend of the show,
(00:45):
been on many times, our friend Brooke Pryor, joining us now, Brooke,
welcome back. How you doing? Are you? Do you get
amped up on game day? Do reporters get amped up?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I get amped up, and then I have to remind
myself that, like the players, this is the long day,
especially your primetime game. Like it's bizarre for me to
sleep in until like nine am in the middle of
the week, but I have to remind myself. Okay, no,
this is this is a marathon and also kind of
a sprint. So I've had one coffee today. I am
(01:16):
positive I will have many.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
More, you and me both. I have to be on
the air until two thirty this morning, so I certainly
know the long, long game here. Okay, let's talk about
the game. When you think of this game Bengals Steelers,
the first matchup or the most important matchup on the
field that comes to mind as what.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Ooh, that is a great question.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I'm gonna go, oh man, because there are many important matchups.
I kind of think it might be Mike Tomlin versus
Joe Flacco. And I know that Mike Tomlin is not
on the field, but this week, the way that Mike
Tomlin kind of called out the Browns for trading Joe Flacco,
he puts some extra heat on this matchup. Mike Tomlin
(02:03):
knows Joe Flacco very very well. He has faced him
twenty two times in the regular season and is eleven
and eleven against him. I believe Joe Flacco ten and
eleven when he's been a starter. The last time they
faced them was in Indy when he came in for
an injured Anthony Richardson and Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator
(02:23):
Tarrell Austin both said this week that when they were
preparing for that Indianapolis game that they did not want
to see Joe Flacco. They were so clear about that,
and he came in and we saw why they did
not want to see him through two touchdowns, almost two
hundred passing yards, just a really calm, veteran presence, still
has a big arm despite being forty years old. So
(02:45):
I think that's that's what I'm going to be watching.
I guess the.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Better you know.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Distillation of that is the Steelers defense against Joe Flacco.
But Mike Tomlin is the architect of this defense, So
I think it comes down to Mike Tomlin versus.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Joe Flacco in this.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I was glad that Tomlin said what he said number one,
because I felt like the game could use a little
bit of juice. And number two, I think the division
in and of itself needs a little bit of juice.
What have you learned? Like? Where did that come from?
Was it strictly I don't want to face Joe Flacco.
Was it a shot at the Browns? Is there something there?
Because it kind of seemed out of left field.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Yeah. I do think it's a little bit of both.
I think that there is some frustration with how the
Browns are doing business that they helped out an interdivision
team at the most crucial position. I think that it
also is just a reflection of how he views football
and how he views you know, gms and things like that.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Like he's not a map guy.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So where Interburry sees that he got an advantage in
the pickswap and was able to get something in return
for Joe Flacco, Mike Tomlin looks at that and thinks, Okay,
but you're hurting yourself this year and you were helping
another team in this division this year.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Mike Tomlin is not a plan for.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
The future type of head coach. He is worried about
the here and now. I mean he said it himself
a couple of weeks ago. He's not a big picture guy.
So I think that's just a difference in philosophies. And
I think there's something to be said for if you
look at how Jake Browning was playing, he would probably
rather face Jake Browning than Joe Flacco for the trillionth time.
So I think that now he sees a veteran quarterback
(04:21):
who is pretty good at getting Jamar Chase and t
Higgins the ball last week in his first start, So
I think it's a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, it's not hard to see why the Bengals didn't
want Jake Browning playing anymore and why anybody else would have.
Let's go to that matchup.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Though.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
The Steelers defense they've been fine. I don't know that
anyone would say they've been great. What's your assessment of
the defense for Pittsburgh to this point and how do
you expect them to attack Joe Flacco tonight?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You know, I do think that they've been a lot
better in the last two weeks, last three weeks, kind
of starting with that Patriots game where they forcibly five turnovers.
They didn't necessarily really completely limit Drake may but that
was kind of the starting point for this defense at
the turning point, and then last week against the Browns
is actually the first time all season that all of
(05:10):
their starters have been healthy and playing, or at least
healthy enough to play.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
And I think that that's where you saw you know, Jay.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And Ramsey coming in on the blitz and having those
two stacks, the pass rush looks better. The secondary as
a whole was really well, was playing really well. I
think that that was just the defense playing in concert
with each other, and that's what they've been looking for
all season and that is what they did not have
in the first two weeks of the season, where it
really looked like.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
The defense could be a train wreck.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
But I think that is a combination of health and
also comfortability and health at the most important position, specifically
looking at Deshaun Elliott coming back and playing, because he's
a huge communicator in the secondary and plays with a
fearlessness and a recklessness that is so good for the Steelers.
Maybe not great long term for his body or the
(05:59):
opposing but he's he's great in coverage, he's great as
a run stopper, great tackler.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
But he is a little bit of a question mark.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
For this game because he's lost as questionable for personal reasons.
I understand there's a family situation going on and he
did not travel with the team yesterday, So that is
a really important position to keep an eye on. But
I think the Steelers plan is going to be to
try to make Joe Flacco as uncomfortable as possible. I
think that, you know, look for TJ. Watt and Nick
(06:30):
Herbig and Alex Heismith looks for that free linebacker package.
They really like deploying that last week when Alex Highsmith
was finally healthy. But I think the key here is
going to be to really try to overwhelm Joe Flacco
early and get his drill and make some of those
passes a little bit more impossible because they're not giving
him much time to throw and let those plays develop.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Talking to Brooke Pryor, covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for ESPN
ahead of tonight's game, let's go from one forty year
old quarterback to another, how would you assessed the play
of Aaron Rodgers to this point for the Steelers offense?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
You know, it's kind of similar to the defense, although
I don't think that he started off at quite a
bad spot is the defense early on. But I do
think that the Aaron Rodgers is coming around and playing better.
I think that last week against the Browns was the
best game that he's played this season and in a while,
and he said himself that he felt better, he felt
more mobile. A lot of that he gave credit to
(07:27):
working with his bodywork guru over the bye week and
you know, staying loose and limber things like that, and
you could see that in the Brown game he was
on the move a little bit more. He was making
some of those signature Aaron Rodgers throws back across his body.
I mean the touchdown to Connor Hayward is a big
one that I think about on the scramble drill that
(07:47):
he just wasn't doing things like that early in the season.
But I think that you're seeing a comparability with him
in this offense, and I think that, you know, his
body so far is holding up pretty well. I also
think the emergence of Darnell Washington and how they are
using him both as an extra blocker and then also
as this just mismatch receiving threat has been really big
(08:11):
for Aaron Rodgers and for this offense. I think that
the Darnell Washington emergence is one of the most fun
things to see in this offense because he just doesn't
make sense. He is a unicorn of a player. I mean,
I think it was Arthur Smith said this week that
when he's watching film, he thinks that Darnell Washington is
(08:31):
bigger than Troy Fatano and Roder Jones. They're two tackles,
and yet he can get out in space and catch
the ball and make things happen on the run, and
it just it doesn't. He just can't comprehend how physics
make that work. And yet he I think has been
a really really good thing for this offense and Aaron Rodgers.
(08:54):
So I think that that the offense is the spending
at this point.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
When it comes to running the ball. Pittsburgh twenty ninth
in the NFL and rush yards per game? Why hasn't
that worked? You know?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I think a lot of it is the offensive line.
The guard play has been a little subpar. Isaac Samalo,
the veteran, just has not really done a great job
this season. He's been pretty mediocre. I do think that
the last two weeks again, there's been an uptick in
their production. Can it gege well against the Vikings in
Ireland and then Jalen Warren coming back last week. I
(09:30):
think that they're starting to move out in space, and
a big key to that is not only adding Darnell
Washington as an extra blocker, but also guard Spencer Anderson
adding him as an extra alignment. So they're going into
these like jumbo and super jumbo packages and really opening
things up. But I think early on they just weren't
getting enough space, weren't getting enough push. But I think
(09:50):
that they're also starting.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
To get there.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Calvin Austin not going to be able to play tonight,
How is that going to change the Steelers' offensive plan
without him on the field.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah, I mean, I think that he takes away a
deep threat option. He's just he's been really good, you know,
as a guy that has a lot of speed on
the outside. He's built like a slot receiver, but he
plays all over the field and I think that he does.
When you don't have him, you do lose one of
those deep threats. But I would kind of look to
(10:23):
Scotty Miller to replace some of that, at least a
snap count, not necessarily the production.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
You also lose a guy.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
That it sounds again like a mismatch, and it is.
It doesn't make any sense on paper, but he's been
really good at downfield blocking.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
He was one of the reasons that.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
DK Metcalf was able to score that eighty one yard
catch and run touchdown in Ireland. Calvinoson was down there
out in front of him, blocking his past to the
end zone and kind of threw that last crucial block
to get him across the goal line, which again is
crazy because Kelvinatson is so much smaller than DK Metcalf,
But it just works.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So that's what you lose, and you don't have him
on the wrapping things up here with Brooke Pryor covering
the Steelers for ESPN. Do fans in Pittsburgh get the
vibe that this is supposed to be an easy win
for the Steelers tonight? Is there a lot of confidence
going into this game? Uh?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
You know, I think there would be if Mike Tomlin
wasn't zero to six in Thursday night divisional games on
the road.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
I think that that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Kind of gives Steelers fans some PUDs, and they have
watched a lot of inexplicable Thursday night losses, whether at
home or on the road.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Mike Tomlin is not great.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
On a short week, especially on the road. So I
think that, you know, again, on paper, the Steelers should
be an overwhelming favorite, but weirder things that happened. I
don't think this is going to be a blowout. Although
I am generally pretty pessimistic about the Steelers until I
see it. I'm very much a see to believe kind
(11:53):
of person, even when you know all signs kind of
point to this should be a big It should be
a pretty significant win because they have so many advantages.
But there's just some intangibles that I don't know. Again,
the Thursday night, I think Deshaun Elliott, yeah, status being
somewhat in question. And also even though Jalen Rams did
(12:13):
play incredibly well on Sunday coming off that hamstring injury,
he really pushed to return, He's now having to turn
that around on a short week. He's an older player.
I think that he's going to play, but I'm interested
to see how his hamstring has responded on just a
couple of days rest.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, that's a good point and certainly something to keep
an eye out for. Brook. Thank you so much for
your time today. No, it's a busy day for you.
Where can people follow along with your coverage going into
Thursday night football tonight?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
It will be on Twitter or x at vee pryor also.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
On ESPN dot com.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
And I've got a story up right now about Johnny
Smith when the Steelers tight ends and his brother who
will be getting to watch him on Thursday night football
on the local broadcast in Pittsburgh from the and where
he's incarcerated forty five miles outside of Pittsburgh, and about
how John hu has worked to get his brothers said introduced.
He's now being released next year, and just last week
(13:09):
John who took a group of Steelers to the prison
to do some prison outreach. So it's a pretty cool story.
So definitely check that out.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
That's interesting. Thanks so much, Brooke really appreciated absolutely thanks
for having me. That is Brooke Pryor from ESPN covering
the Pittsburgh steel So I have to check out that
story about the John new Smith. I didn't know about that,
but yeah, I thought that point that she made at
the very end is interesting. I had heard a little
bit of conversation about this at the beginning of the week,
(13:36):
but didn't really hear much about it otherwise. And that
was that the hamstring injury that Jalen Ramsey was dealing
with didn't get as tested as much against Cleveland because
of the way that they won was on a bit
of a pitch count, and then you turn it right
back around for a short week game in Cincinnati, and
there's a history between the Bengals wide receivers and Jalen Ramsey.
(13:56):
You may remember Super Bowl fifty six mo and I
talked about it, Yeah, yesterday. T Higgins and Jalen Ramsey
going at it, Jamar Chase and Jalen Ramsey going at it.
And part of the reason why the Steelers are built
the way that they are built is to defend T
Higgins and Jamar Chase, whether that's with Joe Burrow or
without Joe Burrow. So to me, yes, the matchup of
(14:18):
Tomlin versus Flacco, like Brook outline, Yes, really important, really interesting,
especially considering Tomlin's history on Thursday nights. But also the
only life that the Bengals had Sunday was when Joe
Flacco said, fitt Jamar down there somewhere, or I'm throwing
this ball to T Higgins and see what happens. That is,
(14:40):
in a way the life blood of the offense. Without
Joe Burrow there and with no run game whatsoever, that
matchup is really interesting, especially if for whatever reason, Ramsey
would have to leave the game, or if Ramsey is
on a pitch count, can the Bengals identify that and
take advantage of whatever weakness and the other part there,
(15:01):
Deshaun Elliott, is he gonna play? Not traveling with the
team yesterday. I haven't heard anything later any news lately
about what might happen with him. That would be a
huge loss for them, And all of a sudden, you
feel better about, if nothing else, the Bengals at least
being able to keep up with the Pittsburgh Steelers on offense,
(15:21):
and especially if Trey Hendrickson's not going to be able
to go. Can you keep putting points on the board.
Can you score a little bit? Can you put the
pressure back on that Steelers offense and allow your crowd
to get into the game, allow that to have an
effect on third downs and in communication, all of that.
These are the things that the Bengals got to be
(15:42):
eye into. Use everything you possibly can to your advantage
for tonight's game. All right, we'll take a break. We'll
come back. Our three of Sincy three to sixty rolling
right along on this game day, our three brought to
you by Penn Station on the Home of the Bengals,
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fresh cut fries and lemonade. It's all about good taste.
Pennstation East Coast Subs order online today. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hi, Hello, welcome in our number three of Cincy three
to sixty on this game day, Thursday night football at
PAI Corpse Stadium tonight in a division rival coming to town,
the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the dreaded Pittsburgh Steelers. And to
get the Steelers perspective on tonight's game, let's talk to
the person covering the Steelers for ESPN. Friend of the show,
(00:45):
been on many times, our friend Brooke Pryor, joining us now, Brooke,
welcome back. How you doing? Are you? Do you get
amped up on game day? Do reporters get amped up?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I get amped up, and then I have to remind
myself that, like the players, this is the long day,
especially your primetime game. Like it's bizarre for me to
sleep in until like nine am in the middle of
the week, but I have to remind myself. Okay, no,
this is this is a marathon and also kind of
a sprint. So I've had one coffee today. I am
(01:16):
positive I will have many.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
More, you and me both. I have to be on
the air until two thirty this morning, so I certainly
know the long, long game here. Okay, let's talk about
the game. When you think of this game Bengals Steelers,
the first matchup or the most important matchup on the
field that comes to mind as what.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Ooh, that is a great question.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I'm gonna go, oh man, because there are many important matchups.
I kind of think it might be Mike Tomlin versus
Joe Flacco. And I know that Mike Tomlin is not
on the field, but this week, the way that Mike
Tomlin kind of called out the Browns for trading Joe Flacco,
he puts some extra heat on this matchup. Mike Tomlin
(02:03):
knows Joe Flacco very very well. He has faced him
twenty two times in the regular season and is eleven
and eleven against him. I believe Joe Flacco ten and
eleven when he's been a starter. The last time they
faced them was in Indy when he came in for
an injured Anthony Richardson and Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator
(02:23):
Tarrell Austin both said this week that when they were
preparing for that Indianapolis game that they did not want
to see Joe Flacco. They were so clear about that,
and he came in and we saw why they did
not want to see him through two touchdowns, almost two
hundred passing yards, just a really calm, veteran presence, still
has a big arm despite being forty years old. So
(02:45):
I think that's that's what I'm going to be watching.
I guess the.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Better you know.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Distillation of that is the Steelers defense against Joe Flacco.
But Mike Tomlin is the architect of this defense, So
I think it comes down to Mike Tomlin versus.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Joe Flacco in this.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I was glad that Tomlin said what he said number one,
because I felt like the game could use a little
bit of juice. And number two, I think the division
in and of itself needs a little bit of juice.
What have you learned? Like? Where did that come from?
Was it strictly I don't want to face Joe Flacco.
Was it a shot at the Browns? Is there something there?
Because it kind of seemed out of left field.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Yeah. I do think it's a little bit of both.
I think that there is some frustration with how the
Browns are doing business that they helped out an interdivision
team at the most crucial position. I think that it
also is just a reflection of how he views football
and how he views you know, gms and things like that.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Like he's not a map guy.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
So where Interburry sees that he got an advantage in
the pickswap and was able to get something in return
for Joe Flacco, Mike Tomlin looks at that and thinks, Okay,
but you're hurting yourself this year and you were helping
another team in this division this year.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
Mike Tomlin is not a plan for.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
The future type of head coach. He is worried about
the here and now. I mean he said it himself
a couple of weeks ago. He's not a big picture guy.
So I think that's just a difference in philosophies. And
I think there's something to be said for if you
look at how Jake Browning was playing, he would probably
rather face Jake Browning than Joe Flacco for the trillionth time.
So I think that now he sees a veteran quarterback
(04:21):
who is pretty good at getting Jamar Chase and t
Higgins the ball last week in his first start, So
I think it's a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, it's not hard to see why the Bengals didn't
want Jake Browning playing anymore and why anybody else would have.
Let's go to that matchup.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Though.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
The Steelers defense they've been fine. I don't know that
anyone would say they've been great. What's your assessment of
the defense for Pittsburgh to this point and how do
you expect them to attack Joe Flacco tonight?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
You know, I do think that they've been a lot
better in the last two weeks, last three weeks, kind
of starting with that Patriots game where they forcibly five turnovers.
They didn't necessarily really completely limit Drake may but that
was kind of the starting point for this defense at
the turning point, and then last week against the Browns
is actually the first time all season that all of
(05:10):
their starters have been healthy and playing, or at least
healthy enough to play.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
And I think that that's where you saw you know, Jay.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
And Ramsey coming in on the blitz and having those
two stacks, the pass rush looks better. The secondary as
a whole was really well, was playing really well. I
think that that was just the defense playing in concert
with each other, and that's what they've been looking for
all season and that is what they did not have
in the first two weeks of the season, where it
really looked like.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
The defense could be a train wreck.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
But I think that is a combination of health and
also comfortability and health at the most important position, specifically
looking at Deshaun Elliott coming back and playing, because he's
a huge communicator in the secondary and plays with a
fearlessness and a recklessness that is so good for the Steelers.
Maybe not great long term for his body or the
(05:59):
opposing but he's he's great in coverage, he's great as
a run stopper, great tackler.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
But he is a little bit of a question mark.
Speaker 3 (06:07):
For this game because he's lost as questionable for personal reasons.
I understand there's a family situation going on and he
did not travel with the team yesterday, So that is
a really important position to keep an eye on. But
I think the Steelers plan is going to be to
try to make Joe Flacco as uncomfortable as possible. I
think that, you know, look for TJ. Watt and Nick
(06:30):
Herbig and Alex Heismith looks for that free linebacker package.
They really like deploying that last week when Alex Highsmith
was finally healthy. But I think the key here is
going to be to really try to overwhelm Joe Flacco
early and get his drill and make some of those
passes a little bit more impossible because they're not giving
him much time to throw and let those plays develop.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Talking to Brooke Pryor, covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for ESPN
ahead of tonight's game, let's go from one forty year
old quarterback to another, how would you assessed the play
of Aaron Rodgers to this point for the Steelers offense?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
You know, it's kind of similar to the defense, although
I don't think that he started off at quite a
bad spot is the defense early on. But I do
think that the Aaron Rodgers is coming around and playing better.
I think that last week against the Browns was the
best game that he's played this season and in a while,
and he said himself that he felt better, he felt
more mobile. A lot of that he gave credit to
(07:27):
working with his bodywork guru over the bye week and
you know, staying loose and limber things like that, and
you could see that in the Brown game he was
on the move a little bit more. He was making
some of those signature Aaron Rodgers throws back across his body.
I mean the touchdown to Connor Hayward is a big
one that I think about on the scramble drill that
(07:47):
he just wasn't doing things like that early in the season.
But I think that you're seeing a comparability with him
in this offense, and I think that, you know, his
body so far is holding up pretty well. I also
think the emergence of Darnell Washington and how they are
using him both as an extra blocker and then also
as this just mismatch receiving threat has been really big
(08:11):
for Aaron Rodgers and for this offense. I think that
the Darnell Washington emergence is one of the most fun
things to see in this offense because he just doesn't
make sense. He is a unicorn of a player. I mean,
I think it was Arthur Smith said this week that
when he's watching film, he thinks that Darnell Washington is
(08:31):
bigger than Troy Fatano and Roder Jones. They're two tackles,
and yet he can get out in space and catch
the ball and make things happen on the run, and
it just it doesn't. He just can't comprehend how physics
make that work. And yet he I think has been
a really really good thing for this offense and Aaron Rodgers.
(08:54):
So I think that that the offense is the spending
at this point.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
When it comes to running the ball. Pittsburgh twenty ninth
in the NFL and rush yards per game? Why hasn't
that worked? You know?
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I think a lot of it is the offensive line.
The guard play has been a little subpar. Isaac Samalo,
the veteran, just has not really done a great job
this season. He's been pretty mediocre. I do think that
the last two weeks again, there's been an uptick in
their production. Can it gege well against the Vikings in
Ireland and then Jalen Warren coming back last week. I
(09:30):
think that they're starting to move out in space, and
a big key to that is not only adding Darnell
Washington as an extra blocker, but also guard Spencer Anderson
adding him as an extra alignment. So they're going into
these like jumbo and super jumbo packages and really opening
things up. But I think early on they just weren't
getting enough space, weren't getting enough push. But I think
(09:50):
that they're also starting.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
To get there.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Calvin Austin not going to be able to play tonight,
How is that going to change the Steelers' offensive plan
without him on the field.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yeah, I mean, I think that he takes away a
deep threat option. He's just he's been really good, you know,
as a guy that has a lot of speed on
the outside. He's built like a slot receiver, but he
plays all over the field and I think that he does.
When you don't have him, you do lose one of
those deep threats. But I would kind of look to
(10:23):
Scotty Miller to replace some of that, at least a
snap count, not necessarily the production.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
You also lose a guy.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
That it sounds again like a mismatch, and it is.
It doesn't make any sense on paper, but he's been
really good at downfield blocking.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
He was one of the reasons that.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
DK Metcalf was able to score that eighty one yard
catch and run touchdown in Ireland. Calvinoson was down there
out in front of him, blocking his past to the
end zone and kind of threw that last crucial block
to get him across the goal line, which again is
crazy because Kelvinatson is so much smaller than DK Metcalf,
But it just works.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So that's what you lose, and you don't have him
on the wrapping things up here with Brooke Pryor covering
the Steelers for ESPN. Do fans in Pittsburgh get the
vibe that this is supposed to be an easy win
for the Steelers tonight? Is there a lot of confidence
going into this game? Uh?
Speaker 3 (11:13):
You know, I think there would be if Mike Tomlin
wasn't zero to six in Thursday night divisional games on
the road.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
I think that that.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Kind of gives Steelers fans some PUDs, and they have
watched a lot of inexplicable Thursday night losses, whether at
home or on the road.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Mike Tomlin is not great.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
On a short week, especially on the road. So I
think that, you know, again, on paper, the Steelers should
be an overwhelming favorite, but weirder things that happened. I
don't think this is going to be a blowout. Although
I am generally pretty pessimistic about the Steelers until I
see it. I'm very much a see to believe kind
(11:53):
of person, even when you know all signs kind of
point to this should be a big It should be
a pretty significant win because they have so many advantages.
But there's just some intangibles that I don't know. Again,
the Thursday night, I think Deshaun Elliott, yeah, status being
somewhat in question. And also even though Jalen Rams did
(12:13):
play incredibly well on Sunday coming off that hamstring injury,
he really pushed to return, He's now having to turn
that around on a short week. He's an older player.
I think that he's going to play, but I'm interested
to see how his hamstring has responded on just a
couple of days rest.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Yeah, that's a good point and certainly something to keep
an eye out for. Brook. Thank you so much for
your time today. No, it's a busy day for you.
Where can people follow along with your coverage going into
Thursday night football tonight?
Speaker 3 (12:43):
It will be on Twitter or x at vee pryor also.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
On ESPN dot com.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
And I've got a story up right now about Johnny
Smith when the Steelers tight ends and his brother who
will be getting to watch him on Thursday night football
on the local broadcast in Pittsburgh from the and where
he's incarcerated forty five miles outside of Pittsburgh, and about
how John hu has worked to get his brothers said introduced.
He's now being released next year, and just last week
(13:09):
John who took a group of Steelers to the prison
to do some prison outreach. So it's a pretty cool story.
So definitely check that out.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
That's interesting. Thanks so much, Brooke really appreciated absolutely thanks
for having me. That is Brooke Pryor from ESPN covering
the Pittsburgh steel So I have to check out that
story about the John new Smith. I didn't know about that,
but yeah, I thought that point that she made at
the very end is interesting. I had heard a little
bit of conversation about this at the beginning of the week,
(13:36):
but didn't really hear much about it otherwise. And that
was that the hamstring injury that Jalen Ramsey was dealing
with didn't get as tested as much against Cleveland because
of the way that they won was on a bit
of a pitch count, and then you turn it right
back around for a short week game in Cincinnati, and
there's a history between the Bengals wide receivers and Jalen Ramsey.
(13:56):
You may remember Super Bowl fifty six mo and I
talked about it, Yeah, yesterday. T Higgins and Jalen Ramsey
going at it, Jamar Chase and Jalen Ramsey going at it.
And part of the reason why the Steelers are built
the way that they are built is to defend T
Higgins and Jamar Chase, whether that's with Joe Burrow or
without Joe Burrow. So to me, yes, the matchup of
(14:18):
Tomlin versus Flacco, like Brook outline, Yes, really important, really interesting,
especially considering Tomlin's history on Thursday nights. But also the
only life that the Bengals had Sunday was when Joe
Flacco said, fitt Jamar down there somewhere, or I'm throwing
this ball to T Higgins and see what happens. That is,
(14:40):
in a way the life blood of the offense. Without
Joe Burrow there and with no run game whatsoever, that
matchup is really interesting, especially if for whatever reason, Ramsey
would have to leave the game, or if Ramsey is
on a pitch count, can the Bengals identify that and
take advantage of whatever weakness and the other part there,
(15:01):
Deshaun Elliott, is he gonna play? Not traveling with the
team yesterday. I haven't heard anything later any news lately
about what might happen with him. That would be a
huge loss for them, And all of a sudden, you
feel better about, if nothing else, the Bengals at least
being able to keep up with the Pittsburgh Steelers on offense,
(15:21):
and especially if Trey Hendrickson's not going to be able
to go. Can you keep putting points on the board.
Can you score a little bit? Can you put the
pressure back on that Steelers offense and allow your crowd
to get into the game, allow that to have an
effect on third downs and in communication, all of that.
These are the things that the Bengals got to be
(15:42):
eye into. Use everything you possibly can to your advantage
for tonight's game. All right, we'll take a break. We'll
come back. Our three of Sincy three to sixty rolling
right along on this game day, our three brought to
you by Penn Station on the Home of the Bengals,
ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Now your chance to win one thousand dollars enter this
nationwide keyword on our website.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Credit that's credit. Enter it now.
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Is it possible to fill you a brain with enough
sports to actually cause your head to explode? Moegar Today
at three oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
A horrific car accident left Paulo with major injuries
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