Let's get to it:
TOM HENSON FROM MARTINSVILLE, IN: As things currently stand, the Steelers are 5-3 against the playoff field, which amounts to half the games they've played. Along the way they secured a playoff berth with 3 games to spare. Despite the extremely disappointing loss on Christmas Day, I don't see this team giving up. My wife and I bought tickets for Week 18 and are making that drive again to see them win against the Bengals. Will the Hall of Honor Museum be open that day regardless of when the game is scheduled?
ANSWER: As a general rule, for all home games played in the 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. time slots, the Hall of Honor Museum is closed. For home games played in the 8 p.m. time slot, the Museum is open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
So when it comes to the upcoming weekend specifically, the Museum will be open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3; from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4; and from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5.
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TIM HOLLAND FROM HAGERSTOWN, MD: As Steelers fans we like to say, "No excuses. No explanations." However, the Baltimore Ravens had the preseason to prepare before playing in Kansas City against the Chiefs on Kickoff Weekend. They had 10 days to prepare for their first meeting with the Steelers in Pittsburgh. They had 6 days to prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles at home. All over a three-month span. They lost all three games. The Steelers had to play the Eagles and Ravens on the road and the Chiefs at home in the span of 11 days. Do you think this was taken into consideration when the NFL put together the schedule?
ANSWER: The short answer is No. It's possible this situation may have been brought to someone's attention during the formulating of the schedule, but I don't believe it was going to end up being a sticking point in the planned release of the schedule. Besides, there's always the cover story that at the time the league made up the schedule there was no way of knowing to a certainty that those three teams would be a combined 39-9 through Week 17. And no one can convince me that the schedule is not created with potential drama in mind, because drama translates into eyeballs, and eyeballs are a significant factor when it comes to revenue.
JOHN PUHALA FROM SPRINGFIELD, VA: Is it possible that Justin Fields' injury designation – because of the trade to acquire him – is so that the Steelers do not have to send a higher draft pick to the Bears?
ANSWER: Absolutely not. The terms of the trade have the Steelers sending a sixth-round pick to the Bears for Justin Fields, with the compensation rising to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51 percent of the offensive snaps during the 2024 season. There is no way the difference in a couple of third-day draft picks would be the driving force in deciding which quarterback would give the team the chance to win games. No way.
CAROL PROSPER FROM WHITE PLAINS, MD: Help me understand a call the officials made during the game on Christmas Day. Kansas City had the ball, and during a first-down play JuJu Smith-Schuster was flagged for offensive holding. When the referee announced it, he said there was a 10-yard penalty at the end of the run and to re-play first down. Why did they get to keep the yardage they earned on the original first-down play but then get to re-play the down? This then gave them a first-and-16 instead of what I thought should've been a first-and-20. Can you help me make sense of it?
ANSWER: I don't know how the outcome of the play you reference in your question was announced, but here's my understanding: When an offensive player has possession of the ball beyond the line of scrimmage, a holding penalty will be assessed from the spot of the foul and the down is repeated. If the offensive player with possession of the ball is behind the line of scrimmage, a holding penalty is enforced from the previous spot and the down is repeated. Offense gets the benefit of the doubt. So to speak.
STEFAN PISOCKI FROM WILMINGTON, DE: Watching the All-22 on NFL+ of the game vs. Kansas City, it appeared that ILB Mark Robinson was in for 1 defensive snap in which he blew up a run play in the offensive backfield. A couple of years ago, when the ILBs were decimated with injuries, the video showed Robinson to be an aggressive run-stopper, yet his playing time has continued to be primarily on special teams. What are the Steelers' views regarding the converted running back?
ANSWER: Let me try to answer your question via statistics. In the game against the Chiefs, Mark Robinson played no defensive snaps and 18 snaps on special teams. In that game, Robinson had 1 tackle and 1 forced fumble, both on special teams. For the season, Robinson has played 8 defensive snaps (less than 1 percent) and 283 special teams snaps (65.7 percent). Also for the season to date, Robinson has 1 tackle on defense, with an additional 4 tackles and 2 forced fumbles on special teams. Based on his playing time, Robinson is viewed as a core special teams player.
JIM ANDERSON FROM TOLEDO, OH: I realize that it is difficult to play 3 games in 11 days. However, this alone cannot explain the outcome. What is Russell Wilson's passer rating for these three games? Do you think that Justin Fields should start the Cincinnati game?
ANSWER: During the 3-game losing streak you reference, Russell Wilson had a passer rating of 94.5 vs. Philadelphia (14-of-22, 128 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs); vs. Baltimore he had a passer rating of 92.6 (22-of-33, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT); and vs. Kansas City he had a passer rating of 65.7 (23-of-37, 205 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT). And no, I do not believe Justin Fields should start the regular season finale vs. the Bengals on Saturday night. I still maintain that Fields opened the season at quarterback because the starter (Wilson) was injured, and then during his starts Fields wasn't dynamic enough to keep the job once the starter was healthy enough to return.
CHARLIE ARNT FROM FAIRVIEW, TX: Watching the Eagles demolish the Cowboys with Kenny Pickett at quarterback on television on Sunday, do you think any of the Steelers' decision-makers is having second thoughts about letting him go?
ANSWER: "Letting him go" is a mis-characterization of what actually happened. In my opinion, Kenny Pickett wanted out.
