Watch the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cleveland Browns live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday, with coverage from 5pm ahead of kickoff at 6pm; the San Francisco 49ers then take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 9.05pm.
Sunday 19 November 2023 08:44, UK
Fallout in Buffalo and defensive greats in Cleveland. With Thanksgiving and Black Friday on the horizon, we guide you through some of the latest news lines and build-up ahead of Sunday's Week 11 action...
Let's hear it for Jim Schwartz. The Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator who, armed with a Myles Garrett-shaped sledgehammer, has propelled himself into leading Assistant Coach of the Year candidacy.
The Sky Sports NFL team hit the road once again this weekend as Hannah Wilkes and Phoebe Schecter head to Dublin's Croke Park to join Steelers fans for a historic sold-out Watch Party. In the company of Pittsburgh icons Santonio Holmes and Alan Faneca, they will bear witness to Schwartz's attack dogs as they take a liking for the scent of an offense still striving to find its way.
Garrett began his campaign mimicking a basketball crossover pre-snap during Cleveland's win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In retrospect, it was a frightening trailer for the destruction that would ensue. He has since ploughed his way to a tied-league-high 11 sacks alongside 25 pressures as the haymaker to a Schwartz defense ranked No 1 in EPA (expected points allowed), passing yards per game and total yards per game.
For so long the Browns had sought a dance partner for their talisman. It's perhaps no coincidence that Garrett finds himself on course for a career year following the addition of Dalvin Tomlinson and Za'Darius Smith, who adjacent to him have been the puppets to Schwartz's manipulation of offensive lineman with the loopers and stunts that continue to squeeze quarterbacks into the former No 1 pick's hands. Garrett can be the shot-creating point guard himself; the Browns are seeing just how good he can be when he has a court companion, or a few, to alleviate some of the attention.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is flourishing as one of the faces of the NFL's multi-purpose linebacker, while Denzel Ward has allowed a fourth-best EPA when targeted among outside corners, per Next Gen Stats. With Nick Chubb absent and quarterback an issue, Schwartz's Garrett-speared defense has kept them alive as unlikely playoff contenders.
It seems fitting that Garrett will spend his career sharing the AFC North with TJ Watt, who already has 10.5 sacks and 28 pressures as the no-quit heartbeat to Mike Tomlin's stubborn defense. Sunday's clash between old foes in the Browns and Steelers marks the latest celebration of pass-rushing greatness unfolding before the eyes of the league.
For £1m you have to block one of them for a second - are you taking on Garrett or Watt? The correct answer is you were happy without £1m in the first place.
As for Ireland, this weekend's Watch Party serves as the latest instalment of their deep-rooted relationship with the Steelers, which has been elevated this year by their partnership through the NFL's Global Markets Program. The Rooney Family are eager to bring a regular season game to Dublin. You have to feel it will happen.
On to the Emerald Isle we go!
Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs, brother of Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, with a dig at Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen: "Let's not forget, he didn't start going off till bro got there."
The response from Stefon Diggs: "I'm not responsible for how other people feel. Anybody in this room for this manner, a reporter, a player, even my own brother. I love my brother. In the space that my brother's coming from is my family. So, you want to know how he feels? You got to take it up with him."
Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the firing of OC Ken Dorsey: "It hurts a lot to see someone you care about go through a situation like that and to know that if I could have done more, if this offense could have done more, we wouldn't have had to do something like that."
Jets head coach Robert Saleh on the possibility of Aaron Rodgers returning from his Achilles injury: "Aaron's a big boy, a grown man, and no one's going to know Aaron's body like Aaron knows his body. And if he feels after all the doctors clear him -- I'm sure there's a million of them, I have no idea, but if Aaron says he wants to play, he's going to play."
49ers left tackle Trent Williams on quarterback Brock Purdy: "It's just like hitting the lottery - you get a player like that with the last pick of the draft. It's literally like playing the lottery and winning the Powerball when it's like $2 billion."
Giants running back Saquon Barkley on contract negotiations: "When you're a premier back in this league, not to talk about myself, they feed you the ball because it helps you and gives you an opportunity to win games more times than not. And then when it comes to contract or a certain time and you're a running back, you having so much miles on you, it's a crazy concept. I try my best not to think about that or I would go insane."
Jaylen Warren pins his ears back and runs with the ferocity that gives you faith he could burrow through a herd of zombies outside of The Winchester Tavern unscathed, with little need to 'let things blow over' alongside Nick Frost. The second-year undrafted running back is coming off a first career 100-yard rushing game having emerged as a welcome spark to Matt Canada's widely-scrutinised Steelers offense. Awaiting him and a 28th-ranked Pittsburgh attack is Cleveland's No 1-ranked defense, live on Sky Sports from 5pm.
Balance has been in short supply for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, particularly on defense where they lead the NFL in rushing EPA while sitting down in 22nd in dropback EPA. Vita Vea lies at the heart of as tough a defensive wall as Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers offense will run into this season, but can that Bucs secondary stand up to Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy's plethora of weapons?
From the Josh Dobbs comeback story to Russell Wilson's resurgence (of sorts), Sunday Night Football plays stage to two of the more intriguing storylines down the stretch as the Kirk Cousins-less Minnesota Vikings ride a five-game win streak into their clash with a Denver Broncos team that has just beaten the Chiefs and Bills after shipping 70 points to the Dolphins in Week Three. Go figure. Denver's turn in fortune has coincided with the return of third-year pass rusher Baron Browning, whose Von Miller-savvy ghost move has helped pave the way to two sacks and 10 pressures in his last two outings. Long-touted as a potential face of Vance Joseph's defense, is this his time to rise?
Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold discuss the future of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, the rise of Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud and famous kicks in NFL history on the latest edition of Inside the Huddle...
In the latest episode of Her Huddle, Phoebe Schecter speaks to Ukrainian flag footballer Olha Hariacha, who shares the story of how her country appeared at the European Flag Football Championships despite the backdrop of war in her homeland.
From NFL anonymity to lock-and-key secret-keeper. Earlier this season Jason Kelce was telling brother Travis Kelce about the "Scottish guy" with whom the Philadelphia Eagles had consulted in order to gain a rugby outlook on the team's 'brotherly shove/tush push' play.
That 'Scottish guy' was Richie Gray.
Spain? Brazil? France? The Steelers in Ireland? Imagine Jordan Mailata's Eagles in Australia?
Germany seemed to cement its trademark in the form of spine-tingling renditions of John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'. London became a home, Munich felt like a home, Frankfurt was very much a long-lost home from home as a back bone of NFL Europe. The league is now looking for its next home.
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes while Burrow exited with a wrist injury as the Ravens beat the Bengals 34-20 on Thursday night, with Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews suffering a year-ending ankle problem.
Watch the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cleveland Browns live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday, with coverage from 5pm ahead of kickoff at 6pm; the San Francisco 49ers then take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 9.05pm.
