As upsetting as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ last two losses have been, losing to the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, it’s still just a game. Win or lose, life goes on.
After a tough performance last Sunday against Arizona in which he committed three special teams penalties, Steelers safety and special teams captain Miles Killebrew told reporters he received death threats this week. That comes from The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, who tweeted the disturbing news a short time ago.
Killebrew was flagged on three separate occasions. Once for running into the punter, declined by Arizona; once for fair catch interference; and once for a facemask making a tackle on a punt. Two were costly mistakes as the Cardinals held the field-position advantage, a crucial reason for their 24-10 win, but nothing that elicits that type of response.
Unfortunately, with the nature of social media and ability to hide behind a username, some “fans” take things too far.
Killebrew bounced back with a big performance Thursday against the Patriots, even if the final result ended the same. He blocked his fourth punt in three years as a Steeler, giving them new life in a key moment after a failed fourth-down pass play left Pittsburgh without any points.
Because the ball travelled forward, Killebrew may not technically get credit for the block; his name doesn’t appear in the official play-by-play as blocking the punt.
All four of Killebrew’s blocks have come in the fourth quarter and they’ve all proved important to the game. One against Buffalo in 2021 helped pull off an upset win; one against the Los Angeles Chargers jump-started a comeback (though Pittsburgh would still lose); one against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Five helped the Steelers win; and Thursday night’s against New England gave the Steelers a real chance to get back into the ball game.
Pittsburgh capitalized on the chance, punching the ball in with a Mitch Trubisky QB sneak. With a successful two-point conversion, the Steelers made it a 21-18 game, though it’s as close as they would get.
Though Killebrew had multiple miscues against Arizona, he’s been a standout special teamer whose carved out a long and successful career in that role. He’s been a net-asset for the Steelers. And even for the player who is struggling most on this roster, no one deserves that level of vitriol from the Internet. It’s a reminder of the sad underbelly that exists online, especially in sports. And why many players do their best to stay off social media.
