Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers was a true game-time decision for the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Chicago Bears, but the Steelers are opting to start QB Mason Rudolph with Rodgers dealing with a fracture in his left wrist. On ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, insider Adam Schefter provided more clarity on the decision and said that team doctors thought it would pose too much danger for Rodgers to play today.
“This is thought to be ordinarily a three to six week injury on that left wrist where that fracture occured last week. But the Steelers doctors did not want him to play, they thought it would pose some danger as much as Aaron Rodgers wanted to be out there today against Chicago, a team in which he has a 25-5 lifetime record against. In the end, the Steelers made the call,” Schefter said.
Rodgers logged limited practices on Thursday and Friday, and even though the injury is to his left wrist, there’s risk of further damage if Rodgers was to hit it again or use it to break his fall, which is how the injury was initially suffered toward the end of the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.
Rudolph led two scoring drives in the second half replacing Rodgers last week, and this isn’t an unfamiliar situation for him. He replaced QB Ben Roethlisberger in 2019 when Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury, and he also started three games and the Steelers’ AFC Wild Card game in place of an injured Kenny Pickett in 2023. Rudolph went 3-0 to end the regular season in 2023, and with the Steelers holding a slim one-game lead in the AFC North, it’s another high-pressure situation for Rudolph to enter as the starter.
While Schefter noted the injury is usually a 3-6 week timeline, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier today that Rodgers should start next week. While Rodgers wanted to play, it doesn’t seem as if suiting up just one week after suffering the injury was in his best interest, and the Steelers are making sure that Rodgers doesn’t suffer further damage. Mike Tomlin had a lot of praise for Rudolph this week, and now he’ll have a big opportunity to help the Steelers win a crucial matchup.
There is a slim chance that Rodgers does enter the game today, as Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Rodgers will serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback today.
For Rodgers to play, both Rudolph and backup Will Howard would need to suffer injuries.
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