In his first press conference since meeting with the media on Christmas day following the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, Mike Tomlin provided an injury update heading into the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In short, from a health standpoint, Tomlin said they’re “moving in the right direction.”
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been dealing with a knee injury suffered during the Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which forced him to miss the contest against Kansas City.
Tomlin said that Porter Jr. is “scheduled to make it back.”
The Steelers secondary has struggled mightily over the past few weeks, so that is welcomed news moving forward and into the playoffs.
He also mentioned that wide receiver Ben Skowronek is on track to play, along with quarterback Justin Fields.
Both cornerback Cory Trice and running back Jaylen Warren will be limited in practice. Tomlin said they are managing bumps and bruises but should be available.
The black and gold also received quite the scare when Cam Heyward went down with an injury on a Patrick Mahomes touchdown pass to Travis Kelce. Trainers were forced to come onto the field as Heyward grabbed his right leg. He later returned to the game but was walking around gingerly.
Heyward appears to be a full-go against the Bengals.
Late last night, we learned that the Steelers and Bengals would kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday Night. This means the Steelers could consider resting players based on the outcome of the Baltimore Ravens—Cleveland Browns tilt on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. If the Ravens (-18.5) win, they will officially clinch the AFC North, meaning the Steelers would be locked into the fourth or fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.
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