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The Burgh Report Sports Talk, 100 Art Rooney Ave, Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

10/16/2025

The Icy Hot Bowl: Steelers vs. Bengals — Old Men, Cold Blood, and a Must-Win in the North

By The Burgh Report

They are calling it the Icy Hot Bowl this week, and honestly, that might be the perfect name. Two forty-something quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers (41) and Joe Flacco (40), going toe to toe in a primetime AFC North showdown. Thursday night lights. Two old vets with more miles than a Route 79 trucker, still out here slinging it like it is 2011.

But make no mistake, this one matters.

The Steelers have won three straight and grabbed control of the AFC North while everyone else in the division has fallen apart. The Ravens have cooled. The Browns are a mess. The Bengals have flat-out tanked. Yet somehow, someway, they just got new life from the last place you would expect, Cleveland.

Tomlin’s “Genius” Comment and the Flacco Curveball

Mike Tomlin said it best this week. He joked that the Browns’ GM must be a lot smarter than the rest of us because he just traded Joe Flacco, their Week 1 starter, inside the division to a struggling rival. That move makes no sense. The Bengals looked dead in the water with Jake Browning. The offense had zero juice, and then Cleveland decided to gift-wrap them a veteran who has seen every AFC North defense ten times over.

Flacco stepped in last week and gave Cincinnati the one thing they had been missing, confidence. Tee Higgins finally woke up. Ja’Marr Chase looked alive again. And suddenly, that team that looked finished two weeks ago found a pulse.

As a Steelers fan, I get it. It is classic AFC North chaos. But I also know this, you cannot let Joe Flacco come in here and embarrass this defense. Not again. Last year, he came off the bench for Anthony Richardson in Indy and cooked us. Tomlin even said before that game he hoped the Colts would keep Richardson upright so we would not have to see Flacco.

Now he is back. Different jersey. Same veteran savvy. And the stakes are higher.

Everything Points to Pittsburgh

The Steelers are rolling. Period.

Rodgers has the offense humming with rhythm for the first time all season. He is taking shorter drops, getting rid of the ball faster, and letting his playmakers do the work. Seventy-one percent of their passing yards are coming after the catch. DK Metcalf has a touchdown in four straight games. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are steady out of the backfield. Tight ends Jonnu Smith, & Mount Washington are finally being used like they should.

This offense has found its identity.

And here is the kicker, Cincinnati’s defense is bad. Really bad.

31st in total defense (394 yards per game)
31st in pass defense (258 yards per game, 13 passing touchdowns)
28th against the run (135 yards per game, 8 rushing touchdowns)
30th in scoring defense (30.5 points per game)
29th in red zone defense
30th in third down defense

That is not a typo. That is a defense begging to get punched in the mouth.

Add in the fact that the footing at Acrisure last week was garbage, and the run game should look much sharper this time around, and there is no reason Pittsburgh should not move the ball at will.

Everything points to the Steelers.

But That Is Exactly Why I Am Nervous

This is the kind of game that defines the Mike Tomlin era. The perfect setup. The “should win” game. The momentum is there. The matchup is there. The stats are screaming in your favor.

And somehow, those are the ones that make Steelers fans sweat.

Every year, we get one of these. A game that looks like a walk in, walk out, take care of business, and go home easy night. But something happens. The energy dips. The ex*****on slips. And the game turns ugly.

That is the only thing that worries me.

If Pittsburgh does what it is supposed to do, controls the clock, keeps Rodgers clean, and lets the defense eat, they win. But if they start slow, let Flacco hang around, and give Ja’Marr Chase a few early looks, it turns into one of those “why was that even close” nights.

Prediction

I think the Steelers pull it out. It is not going to be pretty, but it is going to be gritty.

Rodgers stays sharp, Warren runs wild, and the defense does just enough to close the door. But do not expect an easy night. Expect a dogfight between two old quarterbacks and two teams headed in opposite directions.

Steelers 23, Bengals 20.

And please, for the love of the Terrible Towel, do not let Joe Flacco be the story on Friday morning.

The Icy Hot Bowl is on Prime Video, Thursday night. Old men, cold blood, division hate.
We will see who still has gas left in the tank.

— The Burgh Report

10/16/2025

This is what real leadership looks like 👏 Aaron Rodgers showing love for Jalen Ramsey’s grind to get back on the field. Respect recognizing respect — two competitors who do it the right way. 🖤💛

What do you think, is Ramsey already a Hall of Famer? 👇

10/15/2025

We’ve Waited Long Enough.

Every year it’s the same story. 10 wins. One or two heartbreaks. “Maybe next year.”
Not anymore.
Franklin’s gone. The future is wide open.
Now it’s time for Penn State to stop hoping — and start hunting.

It’s Time for Penn State to Take a Big Swing

By The Burgh Report

This one hits different.
Because for years, Penn State has been good. Consistently good. But never great.

James Franklin gave us stability, energy, recruiting, and a modern edge. But he also gave us the same ending every season. A couple of heartbreaks, a missed opportunity, and a familiar feeling of “what if.” Penn State fans have lived in the land of almost for too long. Almost a playoff team. Almost elite. Almost there.

Well, almost is over.

The Turning Point

Franklin is gone after a third straight loss, and the entire fan base can feel it. This is a defining moment for Penn State football. Beaver Stadium is being rebuilt with a $700 million investment. The university just ate a $45 million buyout. This isn’t a program that’s content with mediocrity.

This is a program that’s saying loud and clear: We want more.

Now it’s up to Athletic Director Pat Kraft to make the move that defines his legacy. This is the time to swing big.

Start with the Big Dogs

If I am Pat Kraft, I’m calling everyone. Nick Saban? I’m making sure that’s not even a possibility before moving on. Dan Lanning. Marcus Freeman. Whoever it takes.

Because Penn State is not a “good job” anymore. It’s a destination. The infrastructure, the tradition, the resources, the national support. It’s all there.

The next hire has to match that.

Cignetti or Freeman

Curt Cignetti deserves respect. Everywhere he’s been, he’s built a winner, and he’s doing it again at Indiana. He’s a proven leader. But he’s older, and this feels like a long-term play for Penn State.

Marcus Freeman, on the other hand, is the kind of guy you build a 20-year legacy around. He’s young, confident, and has that presence. The kind that commands a locker room and represents a brand. He feels like the next evolution of Penn State football.

Rumors are swirling that Penn State might actually be willing to pay the $100 million it would take to get Freeman and his staff. Do I believe it? Absolutely. And it’s the right move.

Pay the Man

Last year Penn State football brought in $240 million. If you can land a coach who makes you a perennial playoff contender, $15 million a year is worth every penny.

The era of NIL and the transfer portal isn’t ruining the sport. It’s revealing who’s serious about winning and who’s not. Georgia wasn’t afraid to evolve. Mark Richt had a ceiling. Kirby Smart broke it.

James Franklin had a ceiling too. Now it’s time for Penn State to break theirs.

The Moment Is Now

Pat Kraft has the chance to lift this program to the level it’s always been capable of reaching. No excuses. No settling.

Even if other schools made changes or other jobs opened up, Penn State would still be the destination for any top-tier coach. The resources, the fan base, the tradition, and now the commitment to winning are unmatched.

Beaver Stadium is getting rebuilt. The fan base is ready. The checkbooks are open.
Now it’s time for Penn State to stop talking about potential and start chasing championships.

Penn State doesn’t need to hope anymore. It needs to hunt.

And Pat Kraft, the hunt starts now.

— The Burgh Report

10/11/2025

The Burgh Report: Penn State vs. Northwestern — Pressure Cooker in Happy Valley

Let’s not sugarcoat it. The temperature in State College today is boiling.

James Franklin is coaching for more than a win. He’s coaching for credibility. The Nittany Lions were supposed to be playoff contenders. Instead, they’re licking their wounds after back-to-back losses. One in a classic battle with Oregon, and the other an embarrassing collapse against a winless UCLA team. That’s not bad luck. That’s bad leadership.

The fan base is restless and rightfully so. The excuses are wearing thin. Franklin’s teams always seem to look elite until the lights get brightest. Then the wheels start to shake. Today’s homecoming game isn’t about Northwestern. It’s about whether this locker room still believes in its head coach.

Franklin says he gets it. He says he understands the frustration. But Penn State fans don’t want understanding. They want results. They want fire. They want to see a team that plays angry, not apologetic.

Northwestern comes in with momentum, winners of two straight including one over the same UCLA squad that just embarrassed Penn State. The Wildcats smell blood. They know if they punch first, Beaver Stadium could turn on its own.

Here’s the truth. This game isn’t about talent. Penn State still has the better roster, the better quarterback, and the better weapons. But if they come out flat again, they’ll find themselves in another fourth-quarter dogfight against a team they should have buried by halftime.

Franklin’s buyout might be massive, but the patience around him is not.

This is a gut-check Saturday. The kind of game that tells you if Penn State still has a pulse or if this season’s obituary gets written before Halloween.

Prediction: Penn State wins 34 to 20, but if they sleepwalk through another first half, the boos will echo louder than the fight song.

10/11/2025

THE BURGH REPORT

Penguins vs Rangers: Sullivan Comes Home, but the New Burgh Isn’t Looking Back

The banners still hang. The memories still matter.
But tonight, nobody’s rolling out a red carpet.

Mike Sullivan walks back into Pittsburgh wearing Rangers blue, and yeah, the man brought the Cups. But those rings don’t win you a shift tonight. Dan Muse’s Penguins are playing like a team that couldn’t care less about nostalgia. They’re young, fast, and they’re coming for 3-0.

The Pulse in the Burgh

This team feels different. You can see it, you can feel it, and if you’ve watched the first two games, you know it. They shut out the Rangers at the Garden and then handled the Islanders in a physical 4-3 fight at home.

Muse has these guys skating like their jobs depend on it. Crosby’s still a machine. Malkin’s playing like he’s got something to prove. The young guns — Brunicke, Kindel, Hallander — they’re not waiting for permission. They’re taking ice and making plays.

Evgeni Malkin looks ten years younger. Five assists in two games. The puck’s on his stick, and you can tell something’s brewing. The city can feel it.

What to Watch

1. Sullivan’s Return
Sully’s name still means something here. You respect what he built. But tonight isn’t about memory lane. The crowd might give him a nod, then it’s all business. Pittsburgh fans don’t live in the past. They live for the next hit, the next goal, the next win.

2. Geno on Fire
This version of Malkin looks pi**ed off in the best way. The hands are still magic, the passes are lethal, and he’s got that extra snarl again. He’s dictating games. When Malkin’s dialed in, it changes everything.

3. The Kids Aren’t Just Here for a Look
Brunicke’s first NHL goal was a statement. Kindel plays like he’s been in the league for years. And Silovs? First start, first shutout. These guys aren’t scared of the moment.

4. Rust Watch
Rust is close. The team’s already buzzing, but when he’s back, that engine gets another gear.

Prediction

The Rangers will want payback after the opener, but this isn’t the same Penguins team that used to fold in these spots. They’re skating harder, hitting smarter, and closing out games.

Prediction: Penguins 3, Rangers 1.
Malkin gets on the board again. Silovs stands tall. The new Burgh keeps rolling.

Game Info

Puck Drop: 7:00 PM ET
Location: PPG Paints Arena
Watch: SportsNet Pittsburgh or ESPN+
Radio: 105.9 The X

The Burgh Report Takeaway

Forget the rebuild talk. Forget the old stories. This team’s got bite again. You can see it in the forecheck, you can hear it in the crowd, and you can feel it every time they hit the ice.

The Muse era isn’t about potential. It’s about pride.
And right now, Pittsburgh’s got it back.

10/11/2025

🔥 Panthers Roll Into Tallahassee Looking to Shock the ACC Again

Pitt heads down to Tallahassee with something to prove — and maybe a few tricks up their sleeve.

Freshman QB Mason Heintschel made his first start look like a backyard scrimmage last week, dropping 323 yards and four TDs on Boston College. Yeah, it was BC, but still — the kid looked poised.

Now it’s real. Noon kickoff. Ranked opponent. Humid Florida air. The Panthers walk into Doak as 10.5-point underdogs, and nobody outside the 412 thinks they’ve got a chance.

But here’s the thing — this defense travels.
Pitt’s giving up under 20 a game and sitting third in the ACC in total defense. Rasheem Biles and company have been eating. And if All-American RB Desmond Reid suits up for the first time since Week 3? It changes everything.

Florida State can flash all they want, but Pittsburgh doesn’t do “flash.”
We do blue-collar, hit-you-in-the-mouth football.
If Heintschel keeps his cool, and that D-line gets pressure early, this one could get real interesting by the fourth quarter.

🖤💛 The Burgh Report prediction:
Pitt 27 – Florida State 24.
Upset city.
The Burgh talks back.

What’s your prediction, Burgh fam? Drop your score 👇

#412

10/10/2025

From Broadway to the Burgh — Penguins Take Down Both New York Teams to Start 2–0

Two games in. Two New York teams down.
The Penguins handled business in New York… then came home and finished the job in front of the Burgh faithful.

A 3–0 shutout at MSG to open the season.
A 4–3 grinder at PPG Paints Arena to keep the streak rolling.

Not bad for a team everyone said was “too old” to hang with the league’s best.

The Core Still Delivers

Evgeni Malkin’s playing like he turned the clock back five years.
Three assists tonight, five points through two games — and every one of them mattered.

Sidney Crosby? First home goal of the season, and it came vintage Sid-style — one knee, in traffic, pure willpower.
The guy’s still the heartbeat of this team.

The Kids Are Alright

Nineteen-year-old Harrison Brunicke got his first NHL goal.
Filip Hallander picked up his first career point.
And Justin Brazeau? He’s officially arrived — three goals in two games, including the game-winner in front of a packed home crowd.

These young guns aren’t just here to watch. They’re producing.

Not Pretty, But Pittsburgh

The Pens didn’t dominate wire to wire, but when the third period hit, they locked it down.

That’s Pittsburgh hockey.
Hard-nosed. Disciplined. No panic, no quit.

And for a team blending youth with veteran leadership, that’s the kind of identity you can build on.

Final Word

Two New York teams. Two losses.
A road statement and a home celebration.

The boys in black and gold are 2–0 to start the season, and there’s a different energy around this squad — hungry, gritty, and finally balanced.

If this is what year 21 of Crosby looks like, buckle up.
The Burgh’s got some fight left in it.

What did you think of the first two games?
Are you buying into this new version of the Penguins yet? 👇

10/10/2025

Two New York teams up. Two New York teams down.

Home opener. The barn was rocking.
Malkin turns back the clock, Brazeau keeps cashing in, and the kid Brunicke looks like he’s been here for years.

Sid still running the show. Muse’s boys playing with structure and bite.
This one felt like old-school Penguins hockey — hard, fast, and loud.

Pittsburgh 4, Islanders 3.
Welcome back to hockey season in the Burgh.

🔥 Question for the 412: Who’s impressed you the most through the first two games — the vets or the kids?

10/08/2025

PITTSBURGH 3 — NEW YORK 0
Now that’s how you start a season.

Brazeau kicked things off with the first goal of the year (and added another for good measure). Malkin looked vintage with two helpers, and Silovs turned Madison Square Garden into a brick wall…stopping all 25 shots for the shutout in his Penguins debut.

The new era behind the bench started exactly how it should….gritty, fast, and disciplined. The kids showed promise, the vets set the tone, and the Penguins handed Mike Sullivan’s Rangers a taste of their own medicine.

Kindel looks like he belongs here. Calm, confident, and playing beyond his years. That’s the kind of youth this team’s been missing.

Final: Penguins 3, Rangers 0.
Welcome back, hockey.

10/07/2025

Old Faces, New Benches

Tonight feels different. Not just because it is opening night, but because of who is behind the benches.

Mike Sullivan, the man who led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups, is now coaching the Rangers. Across the ice, Dan Muse, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant in New York, makes his NHL head coaching debut for Pittsburgh.

Two coaches, two fresh starts, both standing opposite the teams that helped define them.

Sullivan built a legacy here in Pittsburgh, and his name will always carry weight. But now he is wearing blue, trying to prove that his success was not just tied to Crosby and company. Muse is stepping into the biggest challenge of his life, taking over a franchise built on expectations and history.

It is a rare twist that both men begin their next chapters facing their pasts. It adds a little extra edge to an already heated rivalry.

So who has the upper hand tonight — the veteran coach who once ruled the Burgh, or the first-time head coach trying to make it his own?

The Burgh Report Sports Talk

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