The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially won the Asante Samuel Jr. sweepstakes, and it became official on Wednesday. He even had his first practice session in an NFL game in over a calendar year. At this point, his goal is to just pick up this defense as fast as possible, so he can see as many snaps as possible in Week 11. He won’t need to play every down, but having that ability would be helpful. Kyle Dugger was able to do it right after being acquired via trade, so it’s not impossible for the newest Steeler.
In fact, Samuel might be even better than he was during his time with the Los Angeles Chargers. During his first interview in Pittsburgh, he revealed that he got surgery for an issue that he had dealt with since he was drafted in the first place.
“I was playing with [the shoulder issue] for my whole NFL career,” Samuel admitted. “It’s nothing new. I just had to get it fixed.”
Despite playing with in an injury his entire career, Samuel was still a bright spot for a Chargers defense that was constantly hurt and in disarray. He only had one season where he allowed a completion percentage higher than about 62%, and that was his final year in Los Angeles where he only played four games and allowed 12 completions on 18 attempts against him.
Later on, Samuel was asked if this is the best he has felt physically. He gave a very confident answer on that front.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Samuel said. “I feel great. It’s the healthiest I have ever been, because I’ve been dealing with it, and now I got it fixed, so I feel great.”
If Samuel was playing with that shoulder issue throughout his entire career, and it’s finally gone, there is a real chance that the Steelers see a level of play out of him that not even the Chargers saw. Of course, this is just a one-year deal for Samuel, who is currently on the practice squad. He would need to first be called to the 53-man roster. Not only is he going to play well because of his improved health too, but also the fact that his career is on the line. He needs to show everyone that he can still play cornerback at a very high level, whether it’s for the Steelers or for any other potential suitors in free agency. Of course, him staying in Pittsburgh is the hope at this point.
When the Steelers acquired Dugger prior to Week 9, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was forced to tone down his normally complicated scheme and build the gameplan around being as simple as possible so the new guy could understand. The result of that was the best game that he and Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin called all season long, and many players expressed their desires to make that the normal thing.
If the Steelers want to get Samuel into the fold as soon as possible, it’s fair to expect that Tomlin and Austin do the same thing for his team debut. They keep the calls simple, everyone plays fast, and it will be easier to stop Ja’Marr Chase and not let him rack up 16 catches again. If that is the case, Pittsburgh can get back on track with a division victory in Week 11 and avoid getting swept.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their NFL bye week, and they’re heading into an important game against the Denver Broncos on the road on Sunday, November 16. While the Broncos haven’t been much competition in the past, this is a different season, and Denver has an 8-2 record heading into the game. The Chiefs are 5-4.
If there’s anyone who knows that the Broncos could unseat the Chiefs as AFC darlings, it’s Chiefs franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Denver is the No. 1 seed in the AFC West, and their quarterback, Bo Nix, means business. The Broncos’ defense is no joke, too. Denver’s defense is third in points allowed at 17.3 per game, and they’ve allowed the third-fewest yards in the league, according to NFL research. The Broncos are also the No. 1 red zone defense.
So, between Nix and the Broncos’ elite defense, the Chiefs will have their hands full on Sunday. Now, Patrick Mahomes is sending a clear message about the game and the team’s worthy opponents.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a difficult loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, November 2. It wasn’t a great game for Kansas City or Mahomes. According to NFL research, the contest marked the first time in Mahomes’ career he completed fewer than 50% of his passes. He also finished 15 of 34 for 250 yards with one interception. Before that game, Mahomes was just off a three-game winning streak for the Chiefs, which saw him completing 74% of his passes for an average of 281 yards.
Mahomes will have to perform better on Sunday, especially up against the Denver Broncos’ elite defense. He’ll have to make more completions and quick decisions.
Speaking about the game on Wednesday, November 12, Mahomes noted that the Broncos are “first in the division, and they have a couple games on us.”
“It’s huge for the division, and that’s always our first goal is win the division,” he added. “And so, it’s a really good football team. There’s no way around it, and so we have to go out there and play our best football. And I don’t think we’ve done that yet. So, after this bye, let’s go out there, put a great week of practice together and find a way to win in a hostile environment against a great football team.”
He doubled down on how important this game is to the franchise. “I mean, I think you understand this game is important,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. I mean, it’s a divisional game, and they’re always important. But with them having the lead and us needing to go out there and win to have a chance to win the division, I think guys understand that.”
Going into the game, though, Mahomes says that guys aren’t panicking. They’re looking at it as any other game and want to play their best on the field.
“I think if we play our best football, we can play with and win against anybody,” he said. “So, we have to go out there with that mindset of, ‘Let’s play our best football this weekend.’”
It’s always an event when the Chiefs play the Broncos, but this game will be even bigger than usual. While it’s not great that the Chiefs have a 5-4 record at this point in the season, it does make for more interesting football.