Steelers Friday First Call: Rudolph’s Bin Laden Hyperbole, Henderson Returns for Patriots, and Pirates’ Ironic Brewers Sweep
Friday’s edition of “First Call” delivers a quintessential Pittsburgh sports cocktail: a quarterback’s memorable hyperbole about his roller-coaster tenure, a key opponent returning from injury just in time for a divisional showdown, a division rival’s star receiver trending toward inactive status, and a baseball team clinching a meaningless-yet-historic series victory over the league’s best club. Here is the full breakdown heading into a pivotal weekend for the Black and Gold.
Rudolph’s ‘Outhouse to Penthouse’ Journey Includes a Bin Laden Comparison
Mason Rudolph has never lacked for colorful sound bites, but his appearance on long-snapper Christian Kuntz’s podcast this week produced a metaphor that instantly vaulted to the top of his greatest-hits reel.
“I was Osama bin Laden in the city for a long time. I was the most wanted. Listen, I’ve been in the outhouse and the penthouse.”
The Steelers quarterback was referencing the intense vitriol he faced from segments of the fan base during his up-and-down Pittsburgh tenure. While the “most wanted” framing is undeniably hyperbolic—this is a city that reserved its true villain status for Antonio Brown’s exit saga, Le’Veon Bell’s holdout, LeGarrette Blount’s sideline departure, and Rashard Mendenhall’s actual comments about Bin Laden—Rudolph’s broader point about the extremes of his experience holds water.
Consider the timeline: benched for Devlin “Duck” Hodges in 2019. Booed off the field at Acrisure Stadium during a 2022 preseason game because fans wanted to see Kenny Pickett. The infamous tie against Detroit in 2021. Then, the “penthouse” arrival: three consecutive wins to close the 2023 regular season, dragging a 7-7 team into the postseason and earning a two-year contract extension in the process.
Rudolph’s self-awareness about the exaggeration—”I’m not sure the outhouse moments ever got that bad,” he acknowledged—makes the quote more endearing than inflammatory. It also underscores a unique quarterback arc in franchise history: from pariah to playoff savior to trusted veteran backup, all without leaving town.
Patriots Activate TreVeyon Henderson for Sunday’s Foxborough Showdown
The New England Patriots received a significant offensive boost Thursday when second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson declared himself ready for Sunday’s 1 p.m. kickoff against the Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
“I’m ready to go. Thank God I’m healed up now. I’m excited to be back out here with my teammates.”
Henderson missed the season opener with an ankle injury, leaving Rhamondre Stevenson to shoulder the load in New England’s backfield. The Ohio State product rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2025 while adding 35 receptions for 221 yards and another score, establishing himself as a genuine dual-threat weapon.
His return complicates Pittsburgh’s defensive preparation considerably. In last year’s meeting—a 24-17 Steelers victory—Henderson was limited to 28 yards on 11 carries. But a healthy Henderson adds a home-run dimension to a Patriots offense that showed flashes of explosiveness in Week 1. The Steelers’ front seven, anchored by T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, will face a sterner test containing the edge and tracking Henderson in space.
| TreVeyon Henderson 2025 Rookie Stats | |
|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 911 |
| Rushing TDs | 9 |
| Receptions | 35 |
| Receiving Yards | 221 |
| Receiving TDs | 1 |
| Yards from Scrimmage | 1,132 |
Ravens’ Zay Flowers Trending Toward Absence Against Saints
While the Patriots gain a weapon, the Baltimore Ravens appear poised to lose their most dynamic one. Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers missed his second consecutive practice Thursday due to a hamstring injury, leaving his status for Sunday’s game in New Orleans firmly in doubt.
Flowers erupted for five catches, 150 yards, and a touchdown in the first half of Baltimore’s Week 1 win over Indianapolis before exiting at halftime. His absence would leave Lamar Jackson without his primary perimeter threat against a Saints defense that features Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo on the boundary.
The Ravens are also without rookie receiver Jakobi Lane, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. If Flowers sits, Baltimore’s passing game would lean heavily on Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor—a significant downgrade in explosive potential.
Pirates Clinch First Season-Series Win Over Brewers Since 2018—While 8 Games Back
In a twist only Pittsburgh baseball could produce, the Pirates secured a 7-4 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday that clinched their first season-series win over the Brewers since 2018. The irony is thick: Milwaukee owns the best record in Major League Baseball at 95-58, while Pittsburgh sits at 67-86, eight games back of the final wild-card spot with nine games remaining.
Manager Don Kelly’s squad went 7-6 against the NL Central champions, including a three-game sweep at PNC Park right before the All-Star break that briefly ignited playoff hopes. The Bucs now host the Kansas City Royals (67-86, third-worst in the AL) for a three-game weekend set to close the home schedule.
The Pirates’ 2026 season in a nutshell: competitive against the elite, incapable of stringing together wins against the beatable. A 7-6 record vs. a 95-win juggernaut. A losing record vs. everyone else.
The accomplishment, while mathematically hollow in the standings, provides a sliver of positive momentum for a fan base starved for October relevance. It also raises uncomfortable questions about roster construction: how does a team play .500 ball against the division winner yet finish 19 games under .500 overall?
Weekend Watch Guide: What Matters Most
- Steelers at Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET): Pittsburgh’s defense vs. Henderson/Stevenson backfield; Najee Harris’s workload against a stout New England front seven.
- Ravens at Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET): Baltimore’s offensive identity without Flowers; Jackson’s chemistry with Bateman and Andrews.
- Royals at Pirates (Fri-Sun, PNC Park): Final homestand of 2026; Paul Skenes’s potential final start; Ben Cherington’s offseason blueprint taking shape.
For the Steelers, Sunday represents the first true road test of the Mike Tomlin era’s latest chapter. For the Pirates, the weekend is a victory lap for a season-series oddity. For the Ravens, it’s a resilience test. Three teams. Three very different Fridays. One shared city holding its breath.
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