The Pomp And Joe Show

Matt think Paul Skenes wasn't going to use the WBC as an excuse all season long, but Matt doesn't think Skenes knew how much that would effect him. Reflecting on it, Skenes thinks it's a factor. Skenes could have been shut down and tried to reset, but he's been wearing starts that aren't him. Matt gives Skenes some credit for grinding things out. Could Jared Jones become a star next year with this injury behind him?

Joey Porter Jr. is going to try to practice today, but we don't know in what capacity. Porter was out on the field during the stretch portion. Mark thinks Porter would "be crazy" to play. Doug Whaley said Joey Porter Jr. should want to play against Chase and Higgins Sunday to make a point. Doug said his agent would advice him NOT to play. Mark thinks the Steelers would benefit from Porter playing well so they can trade him.

Joe gives the Steelers a 40% chance to beat the Bengals. Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown has been a disaster for them. The Bengals don't have depth at tackle. Derrick Harmon has only played 49% of the snaps this season. He needs to play more and the Steelers need to abandon their rotation this Sunday.

If Joey Porter Jr. isn't ready to go this week, the Steelers need to put him on IR. Who do you blame for certain moves the Steelers have made through the last four years? Bob thinks Broderick Jones was Omar Khan's pick. It was Mike Tomlin's pick to take Joey Porter. Joe thinks you just can't have two picks of players who are not playing for your team now. Joe argues the Chase Claypool trade is now bad for the Steelers because Joey Porter Jr. isn't playing.

Jared Jones has been incredible over the last four starts. Michael McKenry said Brandon Lowe wants to stay and really likes Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes said the root cause of his issues this year date to the World Baseball Classic. He originally said that the velocity dip was intentional. Ben Roethlisberger thinks DK Metcalf is pressing to hard and not being him on the field. Jeff Patton of Baseball Card Castle joined the show.

The Steelers released their latest depth chart. Nothing has changed, including the offensive line. Will Joey Porter Jr. practice and play this week? Is this a must-win game for the Steelers? Bob would go to Will Howard. Arturs Silovs wasn't good for the Penguins in the preseason yesterday. Bob thinks Sergei Murashov should be the guy.

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Joe Starkey and Austin Bechtold, from Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026

Hour 1 with Joe Starkey: Yes, we are talking about Joey Porter Jr. Joe thinks Porter looks at the guarantees DK Metcalf got and is frustrated he isn't getting what he thinks he is worth. The Steelers reportedly offered $27 million per season. What if the Steelers' corners hold down the fort against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?

Hour 2 with Joe Starkey: Nick Farabaugh thinks the Steelers have to get back to running the football. Nick would feature Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth. Rico Dowdle is a hot and cold running back. Dowdle has a stretch where he puts up 400-500 yards in three weeks but then has a ton of poor ones. Nick would start Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman. Paul Skenes said that his drop in velocity was partly due to the World Baseball Classic.

Hour 3 with Joe Starkey: The Ravens got away from the run game and letting Henry win the game. Some offensive coordinators are too cute with play calling. Rob is a fan of Tyler Shough! He didn't think Ravens players looked bad, but Shough looked really good. The Ravens are playing the Cowboys in Rio. Mo Egger of ESPN1530 in Cincinnati joined the show. Mo helps us preview Steelers-Bengals. If the Steelers don't have Joey Porter Jr. it will be CRITICAL