A daily segment of the Steelers Depot. A quick roundup of some stories surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers that may not warrant a full article, but are still gems worth mentioning and can be passed along to us.
Your Depot After Dark for August 20th.
Steelers Division Odds
The Pittsburgh Steelers are given poor odds to win the AFC North. According to Fox Sports’ list, the Steelers have by far the worst odds of any team in the North to win the division.
The Baltimore Ravens are the favorites at +145, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at +165 and the Cleveland Browns at +450. The Steelers are at the bottom of the list at +750.
Pittsburgh last won the AFC North in 2020. If they fail to win the division this year, it would be their longest losing streak since a seven-year stretch from 1985 to 1991.
Limited edition poster
A special edition poster supporting local artists was released on the Steelers Twitter account. Designed by artist Nina Zivkovic, the poster is a limited edition of just 300 and can be purchased in the Steelers Shop for $49.99.
The poster features all of this year’s Steelers home opponents in character form.
All proceeds from the sale will go to Pittsburgh-based Artists Image Resource.
Outrageous ticket price on Sunday
If you want to buy Sunday Ticket through the Apple app, you’ll have to open your (Apple) wallet. The package costs a whopping $679.99, an amount that rises to $740 when combined with the NFL RedZone package.
One reason for Apple’s higher costs is a 30 percent fee, which results in a price increase to compensate.
According to John Ourad of PuckNews via PFT, the NFL denied any responsibility for setting Sunday Ticket prices.
“The NFL does not control the pricing of Sunday Ticket and does not set or receive any additional fees in connection with its sale,” the league said in a statement.
The NFL went through a trial this summer in which a jury ruled against it and would have imposed a fine of $14 billion. But the judge presiding over the case overturned the verdict. The case is now being appealed.
Do you remember Buddy Johnson?
Given that he was selected on day three, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson is hardly a flop. But he is one of the worst fourth-round picks of the Kevin Colbert era. Despite being drafted in 2021, in the same class as Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth, he has become a completely forgotten name.
But not only is Johnson still in the league, he could make the 53-man roster in September. According to Cowboys sportswriter Todd Archer, Johnson is trying to make the Dallas roster.
Johnson didn’t even last two full seasons with Pittsburgh. He only appeared in four games as a rookie and was released in August 2022 after failing to make progress in his second season. He has bounced around NFL teams since then, but landed with Dallas last year, where he appeared in two games.
