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Week 10
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Chicago BearsChicago Bears open applications for 2027 Collin Wehr ScholarshipSteelers DeskSteelers' two-minute drill outscored its expectation by 14.4 points16 min agoPro Football RumorsChiefs, 49ers Showed Trade Interest In Jets WR Garrett WilsonCincinnati BengalsJalen Davis, Andrei Iosivas, Brian Parker II Cleared to Return to Practice | BENGALS ROSTER UPDATEInjuryRhamondre Stevenson: Doubtful → Questionable24 min agoInjuryA.J. Brown: Questionable → Out24 min agoNew York JetsRookie Monsters: Jets '26 Draft Class Has Shown Big-Play Ability to Bedevil OpponentsGreen Bay PackersShort notice was no problem for Packers LB Nick NiemannTitans DeskTitans have lost 1.92 games of win probability to single plays, and the clock adds to it35 min agoCarolina PanthersThree takeaways from coordinators on Thursday, including more action for Lee HunterSeahawks DeskSeahawks' two-minute offense has scored 12.7 points more than expected45 min agoPanthers DeskPanthers run the clock well while the record sits a little below the snaps46 min agoESPNWas it a bigger mistake for the Giants or Cowboys being inactive at the deadline?Las Vegas RaidersKenny Loggins, Bucky Heard highlight Sunday's gameday entertainmentESPNNFL Week 10 uniforms: Titans debut 'Rivalries' look, Ravens go all-blackESPNCarson Beck starting for the CardinalsPittsburgh SteelersAsked and Answered: Nov. 12InjuryDonte Jackson: Active → Cleared1 h agoDallas CowboysTrivia Thursday: The best of Cowboys-49ers historyMiami DolphinsAqua Archives: Colts ClassicsJacksonville JaguarsQuick Thoughts Before Week 10 vs. Titans: No Time to Look AheadInjuryTrent McDuffie: Out → Questionable2 h ago
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Steelers DeskThe Lab Report

Steelers' two-minute drill outscored its expectation by 14.4 points

Pittsburgh is 6-2 and in the playoff field on both tables, but the clock work behind the record grades 27th of 32 under Mike McCarthy.

The Lab ReportCrunch time5Deserved wins · The Lab
By Steelers Desk, Pigskin NightlyNov 12, 11:40 AM ET2 min read

The two-minute drill is the most surprising number in the Steelers' lab file. Pittsburgh has run seven of those drives and scored 19 points, against 4.6 expected. The coach who runs them, Mike McCarthy, still grades 27th of 32 for clock management.

19 points: the two-minute drill is beating its own grade

McCarthy's Clock IQ score is 33 out of 99, which ranks 27th in the league. Expected points is the number a typical offense would be projected to score from the same starting spots. The Steelers have scored 14.4 more than that on seven drives.

The cost shows up in timeouts. Pittsburgh burns 1.75 per game, against a league average of 0.75, a gap of one full timeout every week. A team can outrun that for a while on execution, but the points are coming from the drives, not from the process around them.

The Steelers play at Cincinnati on Sunday night, and a close game puts the end-of-half and end-of-game clock decisions in play. Clock IQ

4.5: the real margin is running ahead of the market

Over eight games, Pittsburgh has won by an average of 4.5 points. The market expected 1.6 per game. Snap-by-snap play deserved 2.3, which is 0.7 better than the market and puts the Steelers 13th among teams the market has underrated.

The real margin is 2.9 points above what the market projected. That gap is why Pittsburgh is 6-2-0 against the closing spread. Cincinnati is a 3.5-point favorite this week with a total of 49.5. Those are context for the game, not a pick. Market vs Snaps

1 win: the record holds up with a small correction

The Steelers are 6-2. Deserved Standings credits them with five wins and three losses, so one win is luck. The real conference rank is sixth and the deserved rank is fifth.

Pittsburgh is in the playoff field on both tables. The correction costs them a seed line at most, and it does not change the picture. Deserved Standings

81%: the cap is mostly on the field, and the exceptions are specific

Pittsburgh has put 81 percent of its cap on the field, which ranks 16th of 32 in value. Of the $257.4 million spent, $19.7 million sits on injured reserve and $29.8 million is on players not playing.

The best bargain is left guard Mason McCormick. He carries a $1.27 million cap hit and has played 100 percent of the snaps. He sits at the 46th percentile in pay and the 88th in playing time.

The widest gap runs the other way. Wide receiver DK Metcalf has a $13.23 million cap hit, the 96th percentile in pay, but ranks only 45th percentile in playing time. For an offense that is the open question, and that is the number to carry into the Bengals game. Paid vs Played

Pittsburgh visits Cincinnati at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 8:20 PM ET on NBC, in Week 10. The forecast is 47 degrees with 4 mph wind and no rain.

How this was reported. Every number in this piece comes from the play-by-play, drive, injury and snap data Pigskin Nightly collects for every game. EPA (expected points added) is from the open nflverse model. We do not use anonymous sources or invent quotes. Read how we write; spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it in the open.