Steelers latest injury report, Week 17 at Seahawks

Heading into the most important game of the year, Pittsburgh has already made a decision on who will be orchestrating the offense: The only question left was whether or not Pickett would be ruled out, or if he would be backing up Rudolph on Sunday, something the final injury report of the week provided clarity […]

Rob Gregson NFL News Writer
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Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) waves to the crowd as he leaves the field after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 34-11. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the most important game of the year, Pittsburgh has already made a decision on who will be orchestrating the offense:

The only question left was whether or not Pickett would be ruled out, or if he would be backing up Rudolph on Sunday, something the final injury report of the week provided clarity on:

Steelers Latest Injury Report, Week 17, Friday

Observations:

  • Kenny Pickett: Pickett's status has been in flux for the past two weeks, with reports that he was pushing to play dating back to last week's Bengals game. The Steelers are likely using his injury as a guise for the hot hand that is Mason Rudolph, pointing to Pickett's limited practice availability all week as their reasoning. But should Rudolph have another strong performance, and play again in Week 18, it will be clear that Pickett has been benched, creating a larger discussion on his future should the proper dominoes fall. His official listing as questionable only adds to the controversy, seeing as Pickett could seemingly be healthy enough to be the backup, but not to start. 
  • Minkah Fitzpatrick: Coach Tomlin noted Minkah's potential availability in the latter part of the week as a determinant in his status for Sunday, but seeing as he failed to participate at all, he has been ruled out. 
  • Elandon Roberts: Roberts was declared out early in the week, which has officially been confirmed by his declaration on Friday. Roberts said not to rule out a potential return in Week 18 however.