First Call: NFL reviewing George Pickens' scrum in Cleveland; thoughts on Russell Wilson staying in Pittsburgh

Monday’s “First Call” has some potential fallout from the end of Thursday’s Steelers-Browns game. There’s some forecasting about the future of Pittsburgh’s quarterback position. We preview the “Monday Night Football” game and its implications for the Steelers.

And the Duquesne basketball team continues its tournament in the Cayman Islands.

League takes a look

Via Cleveland.com, The NFL is reviewing the skirmish between George Pickens and Greg Newsome II at the end of the Steelers-Browns game Thursday night.

After the last play of the game, the Steelers wide receiver and Browns DB got into a scrum in the back of the end zone following a last-second Hail Mary attempt from Pittsburgh quarterback Russell Wilson.

George Pickens fighting Greg Newsome during the Hail Mary LMFAO pic.twitter.com/1QT1sN1w5o

— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) November 22, 2024

The incident resulted in Newsome posting a message on social media calling Pickens a “fake tough guy.” In postgame interviews, Pickens said that the Browns weren’t “a good team at all” and that they were aided to victory by the weather and imbalanced officiating.

Browns safety Grant Delpit also used social media to invite the Steelers to “come get yo get back” when the teams face one another again in two weeks.

Future with Russ?

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini posted an article on Saturday outlining some prospects for the New York Jets if they move on from Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

She brought up both of the Steelers quarterbacks along the way, with Justin Fields as an option but with Wilson staying in Pittsburgh.

“Replacing Rodgers won’t be easy,” Russini said. “The free-agent QB market is lacking, with Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson among the top names — though Wilson is expected to stay with the Steelers, and the Vikings could decide to keep Darnold if he’s willing to be a backup. Justin Fields, Derek Carr (whom the Jets pursued before Rodgers) and Daniel Jones are also potential targets, but none of them stand out as an ideal fit.”

Sure, Fields would be a possibility in New York if the Steelers do decide to retain Wilson as the starting quarterback. Steelers general manager Omar Khan is going to go from a situation this year where both are dirt cheap to next year where keeping both would likely be prohibitive.

However, retaining Wilson is certainly possible for the Steelers, especially based on his play so far this season as the starting quarterback. What’s unclear, though, is if Russini is advancing her assessment that he is expected to stay in black and gold through any sourcing or just speculation on the landscape of the situation.

Wilson did say last week that he wants to keep playing for at least another five years. That would keep him in an NFL uniform until he is 41. However, he didn’t specifically say he plans on staying in Pittsburgh.

Similarly, for Fields, Russini didn’t tip her hand at any insider knowledge that the Jets are interested in Fields. But connecting the dots would make sense since he would be a free agent, and if the Jets are looking for a new start at QB, they may have interest in him after a 4-2 start to 2024 in Pittsburgh.

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• Analysis: Eli Holstein's head, ankle injuries only part of the issues plaguing Pitt

Brother battle

The “Monday Night Football” game is getting a lot of attention because it’s the battle of the Harbaugh brothers.

Much like Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh will coach against his younger brother, Jim Harbaugh. The only difference now is that Jim is coaching the Los Angeles Chargers instead of the San Francisco 49ers.

The result of the game will get significant reaction here in Pittsburgh. If the Ravens win, they will improve to 8-4 and remain within a half-game of the Steelers (8-3) atop the AFC North. That result would also give the Chargers a 7-4 record, bumping them down to the second wild-card position in the AFC. That would align L.A. with the Steelers for a potential first-round AFC playoff matchup if the current bracket were to hold for the rest of the year.

If L.A. wins, they’d entrench their current hold on the top wild card spot in front of Baltimore, and keep the Ravens on the same postseason line with the Steelers. Both teams have already lost in Pittsburgh this season. The Steelers are due for a rematch with the Ravens in Baltimore on Dec. 21.

Baltimore is a 2.5-point favorite in L.A., according to ESPNBet.

Early tip

After losing to South Dakota State (71-60) on Sunday afternoon, the Duquesne men’s basketball team has a quick turnaround and an early start on Monday for Game 2 of the Cayman Islands Classic.

Dru Joyce III’s team has an 11 a.m. tip for its sixth game of the year. It’s against Hampton. Joyce is still looking for his first win as Dukes’ coach. Duquesne has dropped its first five contests of the season.

Hampton, out of the CAA, is 2-4. They lost to Boise State, 83-69, in their first game of the tournament in George Town.

The winner of this game will get the winner of Hampton vs. Old Dominion on Tuesday to conclude the tournament in the fifth-place game.