Arguably not the most thrilling game today but we’ve saved plenty of weird for you guys to spice things up post-game.
– Gotta start with the big one. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds each recording a pair of picks today.
– For Edmunds, he had more interceptions today (2) than he had in the first three years of his NFL career (1). It is Edmunds’ first multi-interception game of his career, college or pro.
– For Fitzpatrick, he continues to make big plays to take away points from offenses. Dating back to last season, he has an NFL leading three red zone INTs. Those have come against the Colts last year (his 97 yard pick six), the Cowboys earlier this year, and today against the Jaguars.
– Today marked the first time two Steelers’ players each had 2+ INTs in a game since 1995 when Willie Williams and Alvoid Mays each had a pair in a 31-16 win over the Chargers.
As far as I can tell, dating back to at least 1950, today was the first time two Steelers’ safeties had 2+ picks in the same game. Here are same of the other defensive duos.
1992: Rod Woodson and Larry Griffin
1991: Thomas Everett and Shawn Vincent
1984: Donnie Shell and Dwayne Woodruff
1983: Dwayne Woodruff and Mike Merriweather
1981: Donnie Shell and Anthony Washington
1980: Donnie Shell and Mel Blount
1974: Glen Edwards, Jack Ham, and Jack Lambert (Steelers had 7 INTs that day)
1973: John Rowser and Henry Davis
Now you can add Fitzpatrick and Edmunds to that list.
– First time the Steelers have recorded four INTs in a game since 2017 and only the second time of the last 23 years. Last time the defense picked off 4+ passes and didn’t allow a TD came in a 1997 37-0 shutout of the Baltimore Ravens.
– You probably already saw some of the stats on Chase Claypool throughout the broadcast. Ten touchdowns in ten games. One of just three rookies to do that since 1997 (Zeke Elliott in 2016, Saquon Barkley in 2018) and the first non-RB to do it since Mike Ditka in 1961. Only three receivers: Bill Groman, Harlon Hill, and Billy Howton have done it in NFL history. Pretty special.
– Claypool is just one TD shy from tying the Steelers’ rookie record for TDs in a season. Franco Harris and Louis Lipps each had 11 in 1972 and 1984, respectively.
– Claypool hasn’t lost a football game since November 2nd, 2019. Well over a year. He’s 16-0 over his last 16. Let’s hope the Steelers have 16 straight by the end of the regular season.
– Now that he’s the big 2-4, a look at JuJu Smith-Schuster through his age 23 season. In NFL history…
265 receptions (11th all-time)
3411 yards (10th all-time)
27 TDs (tied 17th all-time)
– Benny Snell has five career rushing TDs. Four of them have come from one-yard out. The other came from four yards. Goal line back.
– The Steelers haven’t allowed a sack in three straight games. 150 straight pass attempts for Ben Roethlisberger. It’s the first time in franchise history they haven’t given up a sack in three consecutive games. Eleven times has the streak been two games. But never three.
Roethlisberger’s been dropped only twice over his last five games.
– Pittsburgh has scored 24+ in ten straight games. That’s a franchise first.
– Stephon Tuitt has seven sacks this season. That’s a career high.
– Steelers’ third down defense the last two games? 4/26. That’s just 15.3%.
– Last one. And CBS stole my thunder with their jinx stat. So you can get mad at them, not me. That’s why I was holding off tweeting it. Chris Boswell saw his streak of 25 straight made field goals end Sunday after his 46 yard miss. But that streak was the longest in team history. Here are the top three.
Chris Boswell: 25
Shaun Suisham: 24
Jeff Reed: 22
