After lacking a number of starters of their Saturday sport towards the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers look poised to get a number of key gamers again for his or her Christmas Day sport towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Wednesday.
That features one among their most essential gamers, huge 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 damage report. That opens the door for all of them to return on Wednesday.
Beginning cornerback Joey Porter Jr. didn’t observe and is taken into account out for the sport. Whereas the absence of Porter is a giant one to beat, it is likely to be balanced by the actual fact the Steelers are getting the aforementioned quartet again for Wednesday. None of these returns might be extra impactful than Pickens.
Pickens is just not solely the Steelers’ No. 1 huge receiver and largest playmaker, however he’s the most effective participant on the place on their depth chart. He has missed the previous three video games as a consequence of a hamstring damage, and the Steelers offense and passing sport 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 sport.
Whereas Pickens is a big addition to the offense, the returns of Elliott, Ogunjobi and Jackson are additionally vital. Elliott and Ogunjobi are two of the Steelers’ higher run-stoppers, and their absence performed an enormous position within the incapacity to cease Derrick Henry on Saturday.
Jackson leads the Steelers in interceptions, and after Porter left Saturday’s sport, 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 might be probably vital 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 a giant 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 coming 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 residence 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 among their remaining two video games.
