Pittsburgh Steelers fans received good news and bad news on December 19, and both came via NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
“For the Steelers: WR George Pickens and QB Justin Fields have both been ruled out against the [Baltimore] Ravens,” Rapoport relayed. “But… T.J. Watt has no injury designation and is good to go.”
Watt has been trending toward toughing it out all week long, even after his brother J.J. Watt spoke candidly about a couple of potential concerns. Now, officially, it appears he’ll do so — even though the star pass rusher was unwilling to confirm his injury status on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ll have to wait and see how it feels on Saturday, but I feel pretty good right now,” Watt told reporters on December 19. He also noted that he didn’t have too many limitations at practice this week but acknowledged that the Steelers didn’t do anything too intense either with it being a short week.
When asked about the potential of a limited snap count in Week 16, Watt expressed that he’d like to be on the field “as much as [he] possibly can.” It sounds like it’s all systems go for Watt against the Ravens.
As for Pickens, the “out” designation is somewhat disappointing following the trending workout video of the wideout on December 17. Hamstring injuries are tricky, and it seems the Steelers will continue to take things slowly with Pickens, prioritizing the playoff run.
He’ll have a chance to suit up on Christmas Day versus the Kansas City Chiefs — although that’s an even shorter week than this one.
Finally, with Fields officially “out” with an abdominal injury, third-string QB Kyle Allen will once again take over the backup duties. This time, he’ll be behind Russell Wilson rather than Fields earlier in the year.
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