After lacking a number of starters of their Saturday recreation towards the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers look poised to get a number of key gamers again for his or her Christmas Day recreation towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Wednesday.
That features one in all their most vital gamers, extensive receiver George Pickens.
Pickens, security DeShon Elliott, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and cornerback Donte Jackson were all full participants in practice this week and weren’t listed on Tuesday’s harm report. That opens the door for all of them to return on Wednesday.
Beginning cornerback Joey Porter Jr. didn’t apply and is taken into account out for the sport. Whereas the absence of Porter is an enormous one to beat, it may be balanced by the very fact the Steelers are getting the aforementioned quartet again for Wednesday. None of these returns could possibly be extra impactful than Pickens.
Pickens just isn’t solely the Steelers’ No. 1 extensive receiver and largest playmaker, however he’s the very best participant on the place on their depth chart. He has missed the previous three video games as a consequence of a hamstring harm, and the Steelers offense and passing recreation have all struggled mightily in his absence. They don’t have sufficient depth on the place to make up for his absence, and no one can stretch the protection and open issues up downfield.
Getting him again — assuming he’s one hundred pc wholesome — ought to give quarterback Russell Wilson his most well-liked goal within the downfield passing recreation.
Whereas Pickens is a big addition to the offense, the returns of Elliott, Ogunjobi and Jackson are additionally important. Elliott and Ogunjobi are two of the Steelers’ higher run-stoppers, and their absence performed an enormous position within the incapability to cease Derrick Henry on Saturday.
Jackson leads the Steelers in interceptions, and after Porter left Saturday’s recreation, it left them with out each of their beginning cornerbacks and three of the 4 starters of their secondary (Elliott, Jackson and Porter).
Even with out Porter, getting two starters again can be probably important towards Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
When wholesome, the Steelers have been one of many higher groups within the NFL this season. Accidents have performed an enormous position of their back-to-back defeats to the Philadelphia Eagles and Ravens.
The Steelers (10-5) are tied with the Ravens for the highest spot within the AFC North getting into the week however nonetheless management the division. In the event that they merely win their two remaining video games (towards the Chiefs on Wednesday and at house towards the Cincinnati Bengals subsequent Sunday), they win the division it doesn’t matter what. In the event that they lose a kind of two video games, they are going to want the Ravens to lose one in all their remaining two video games.
