Pro Football Rumors
The fracture in Aaron Rodgers‘ left wrist left him sidelined for Week 12. With the Steelers coming off a loss, they will likely have their starting quarterback in the fold once more.
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin said (via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) he has “great optimism” about Rodgers being able to suit up this week. Plenty will depend on how the coming days play out in practice, of course. At this point, though, Tomlin is “comfortable with [Rodgers’] general trajectory.”
That update comes as little surprise. It quickly became clear last week that Rodgers will not require surgery, and as such a lengthy absence has not been expected. The 41-year-old wore a brace on his non-throwing hand during practice, and pain management is not believed to be a major issue in this case. After Rodgers pushed to be able to play last week, he will no doubt do the same ahead of Week 13’s game against the Bills.
Pittsburgh turned to Mason Rudolph against the Bears. The veteran completed 24 of his 31 attempts, but that yielded just 171 yards and one touchdown (to go along with one interception). The Steelers lost 31-28 and they now sit at 6-5 on the year. With the Ravens riding a five-game win streak, Baltimore now sits atop the AFC North. Rebounding against the Bills will be critical for Pittsburgh’s postseason outlook.
While Rodgers is on track to be available, the news on other injury fronts is less positive. Tomlin said (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is dealing with a knee injury. He specified this is a separate issue from the MCL sprain which left the first-round rookie unavailable early in the season. Tomlin is unsure if the same knee has been affected by this latest ailment.
Harmon will be out for at least Week 13, and the same is also true of left tackle Broderick Jones. The third-year blocker is thus in line to miss a game for the first time in his career. Tomlin noted (h/t Pryor) swing tackle Calvin Anderson and offseason acquisition Andrus Peat will share first-team reps on offense this week. Those two will compete for the starting gig on the blindside while Rodgers continues to prepare for his return.
