Thursday’s First Call shows us the Los Angeles Chargers already thinking about their Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, even though they haven’t even finished planning for Week 2 against Carolina.

Joey Porter Jr. is confident about his next matchup with a wide receiver in Denver. The Steelers’ new punter knows Cameron Johnston’s struggles all too well.

And we see a big challenge for the pirates.

Round 2

Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was the player most responsible for covering Falcons wide receiver Drake London in the Steelers’ 18-10 win Sunday in their season opener at Atlanta. Despite rushing for 1,771 yards in his first two seasons, London had just 15 yards on two catches Sunday.

This week, Porter said he will probably Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton is seen more often than anyone else when the Steelers travel to Denver. Sutton had 10 touchdowns last season.

“That will probably be the duel,” said Porter. “It is not Really no matter which wide receiver I play against. But he is a bigger wide receiver. It Only makes sense that I stand up to him and do what I do.”

Sutton is 6’4″ and weighs 214lbs, almost the same as London. Porter is 6’2″ and weighs 190lbs.

Porter’s teammate Donte Jackson said he only ended with the guard London scored a few times, usually when the Falcons rushed to the line of scrimmage and London ended up on his side of the field.

If the Broncos use that strategy at times this Sunday, Porter said he is confident the Steelers can handle it.

“When they pick up the pace at the end, Jackson and I feel fully comfortable on our side. If he lands on (Sutton), I know (Jackson) becomes win. And I know when I land on (Sutton) I will win. It doesn’t matter which one of us gets No. 14, we Only know that we believe in ourselves.”

Last week, rookie quarterback Bo Nix targeted Sutton 12 times and completed four passes for 38 yards.

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Thinking of the Steelers

The Los Angeles Chargers already have their Week 3 game against the Steelers on their mind, and we’re not even through Week 2 yet.

Jim Harbaugh’s team plays the Panthers in Charlotte on Sunday. Harbaugh has decided he would rather keep the team in the Eastern time zone rather than fly back to LA on Sunday night and return to Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.

Therefore, the team will stay in Charlotte to prepare for this game.

“I think it’s a great time to do this,” Harbaugh said via ProFootballTalk.com. “This is not the ideal solution. Everyone would rather be in their own bed, in their own home. Kickoff at 1 a.m. Eastern Time Really requires — that is 10 o’clock in our body time — to acclimatize in addition. In addition, the 20 hours of travel time are eliminated. Further advantages, Only Focus on our football. … It’s a team that enjoys each other’s company.”

And they should. That’s a lot of time we spend together on the road.

The Chargers will stay in Charlotte after playing the Panthers before their Week 3 game against the Steelers.

“There’s no reason we can’t have fun. Bring the board games and snacks.” pic.twitter.com/ZtkldjSBjD

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) 11 September 2024

Via SI.com, the Chargers They are scheduled to practice at UNC Charlotte the week before the game at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 22.

Waitman can understand this

Recently brought back punter Corliss Waitman said Wednesday he is happy to be back in the Steelers locker room, but he is not thrilled about the circumstances that brought him back.

The franchise re-signed Waitman after promising free agent signing Cam Johnston was out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury on Sunday during a blocked punt attempt by the Atlanta Falcons.

Johnston’s knee on his kicking leg was reportedly injured in several places. Waitman can understand that.

“I’ve talked to Cam. It’s unfortunate,” Waitman said. “You wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I tore my ACL, meniscus and posterior cruciate ligament in college, so I know what that feels like. But he’ll be back. He’s a great guy.”

Waitman’s injury occurred when he was at South Alabama and an opposing return player was tackled near the sideline and rolled into the side of Waitman’s kicking knee.

The 29-year-old made his first appearance for the Steelers in 2021, filling in for Pressley Harvin III during his bereavement leave. He punted seven times in two games, averaging 42.6 yards per kick.

Royal reality check

There are so many bad teams in Major League Baseball that even the Pirates can get a sweep.

We Only The proof was provided at PNC Park, when the Buccos, 70-76, defeated the Miami Marlins, 54-92, three times in a row. At 33-114, the Chicago White Sox are the only team in Major League Baseball with fewer wins than the Marlins.

Now, however, the Pirates have a bigger competition ahead of them. Starting Friday, they face the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series. Their record is 80-67, good enough for second place in the American League wild card rankings.

The Royals’ run differential of plus-95 is the second-best in the AL, behind only the league-leading New York Yankees (plus-124). Only the Yankees (734), Orioles (721) and Red Sox (696) have higher run totals in the AL than KC’s 693. The team’s batting average of .253 is the third-best in the AL.

On the mound, Kansas City ranks fifth in the AL with only 598 runs allowed.