All indications from the Pittsburgh Steelers are that QB Aaron Rodgers will suit up on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. But Pittsburgh has yet to practice this week, and with Rodgers missing the team’s Week 12 game to avoid further damage to his wrist injury, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is less certain of Rodgers’ status.
“Mike [Tomlin] said it was a prudent decision which leads me to believe there were some medical concerns about that wrist stabilizing. With another week, maybe it’s better, but I don’t know how much even a hairline fracture on a bone like the wrist is gonna mean in a week,” Fittipaldo said Wednesday on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan. “We’ll have to see what happens this week, but at this point, I don’t know to be honest, I’m probably 50/50 playing or sitting again.”
If Rodgers doesn’t play on Sunday, the Steelers will again turn to Mason Rudolph, who struggled a bit in their Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. Rodgers was pushing to play last week, but Tomlin and the team doctors held him out, and his practice participation this week could be a sign of whether or not he plays against the Bills.
While Tomlin said he anticipates Rodgers’ returning, if doctors are still uncomfortable with him playing, there’s a real chance that he sits on Sunday. The concern is that Rodgers’ minor fracture could turn into a displaced fracture, which could keep him out long term. At 6-5, the Steelers fell out of the playoff picture with their loss to the Bears, and they’d surely like to have Rodgers back. But the team won’t risk an injury that could potentially end his season, and if he shows signs of discomfort in practice, it could come down to the wire again if Rodgers is going to suit up.
Given Tomlin’s repeated confidence in Rodgers suiting up this weekend, it feels more likely than not that he plays against Buffalo, but it’s understandable to see why Fittipaldo is only giving it 50/50 odds. The injury would have to show that it’s healed enough this week for the Steelers to be comfortable playing him, given that they didn’t last week. While it sounds as if Tomlin and the Steelers expect it to heal enough for Rodgers to play, there’s a chance that isn’t the case and he has to sit out another week.
Recommended for you