We’ve seen this movie before haven’t we? The Pittsburgh Steelers get late into the season, are fighting for a division title or postseason berth, but the injuries mount. But not just any injuries. These are injuries to key players. Whether Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell or T.J. Watt, the Steelers in recent years just can’t seem to keep their top players on the field.
Yet here we are. With a playoff berth secured but a division title on the line, the Steelers will head to Baltimore far less than 100%. Despite rolling his ankle, T.J. Watt does not have an injury designation so he will play. Based on the video of him in practice this week I’m not overly optimistic. He looked very much like a guy taking it extremely easy and favoring one side.
While Watt’s status appears certain, George Pickens will not play. This is the third straight game he will miss and while the team has been able to split games, last week was a prime example of how sorely he was missed. The offense generated just 168 yards of offense. The Baltimore defense is good but not quite to the same level as the Eagles. That said, with Pickens on the sidelines, expect the Ravens to load the box to stop the run. Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have to produce and someone in the receiving corps has to step up.
My other big concern is DeShon Elliott. His absence last week was more notable than I had anticipated. Minkah Fitzpatrick was forced to play in the box more often and the overall tackling of the unit was way below par. He’s listed as doubtful which by NFL standards almost always means “out.”
Larry Ogunjobi and Donte Jackson are both listed as questionable. Ogunjobi is expected to give it a go while Jackson will literally be a coin toss. And don’t hastily dismiss the absence of Justin Fields this week either. He was hurt on his one play last week and is out for this one. That will likely change how Arthur Smith deals with short yardage situations.
I suggested on the podcast Wednesday night that I didn’t feel real confident going into this game and this menu of injuries is exactly why. There are several trends that still favor the Steelers coming out of Baltimore with a win but I struggle to find a formula where they do. While no team gets this late into a season without injuries, it sure would be nice to go into these final weeks without the same issues we’ve dealt with for years.
