There is only one Cincinnati player on the final Bengals vs. Steelers injury report: Ja’Marr Chase.
When the Cincinnati Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, their standout wideout Ja’Marr Chase won’t be available.
The only Bengals player shown on the injury report at all is Chase.
WR Ja’Marr Chase (out): On Thursday, prior to the publication of the article, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor declared that Chase would not play this week.
Chase hurt his shoulder during the Vikings game last week, and according to the most recent insider information, he may miss next week’s game against the Chiefs as well.
With Chase out, Trenton Irwin and youngster Andrei Iosivas might be able to get some mileage with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins against the travelling Steelers defence.
Chase Brown and Alex Cappa are two of the six Bengals players who were advanced to full practice in the middle of the week but aren’t even mentioned on the final report.
Big predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Bengals game in Week 16
Can a victory versus the Bengals put an end to Mike Tomlin’s team’s decline?
The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have finally succumbed to the grind of the season. Rematch ramifications for postseason seeding seemed more possible after these clubs defeated these particular Cincinnati Bengals to advance to 7-4. However, a look at the Steelers’ performance in Week 16 indicates that things are not going well for this squad.
When Mike Tomlin gets ready to start third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph for the first time since November 2021, he can’t help but hear rumours regarding his job security. (A draw with the Lions of Detroit.) Considering how poor this offence has been for the majority of the season, it seems like giving Rudolph a chance cannot harm the team. What have the Steelers got to lose with their record at 7-7 and their postseason chances below 10%?Apart from this game, of course.
The Bengals are aware of the loss of their starting signal caller, but Cincinnati’s game has continued. With three straight victories under Jake Browning’s leadership, the squad is presently positioned in the sixth playoff slot in the AFC. Browning’s situation won’t get any easier with star wideout Ja’Marr Chase already ruled out due to a shoulder injury, but perhaps he’s ready for the difficulty level to rise a little.
AFC North football in December. Now you could practically see the struggle for field position and cautious play-calling. But in this one, who will triumph by rising above the icy, hard ground? Maybe our Steelers Week 16 predictions might point you in the right direction.
Rudolph leads the way.
With 278 yards passing, Kenny Pickett has had the most productive passing game of any Steelers quarterback this year. That occurred in Week 12 against the Bengals. You guessed it.
Only once in his ten career starts has Mason Rudolph finished higher than that amount.
Let’s take a risk and say Rudolph surpasses Pickett’s season-high on Sunday. There are two reasons to believe that this could actually happen.
The Bengals’ pass defence is the first one. It’s a bad unit, as demonstrated by letting Kenny Pickett run it up in terms of yards. The only team that allows more total yards per game than Cincy is the Washington Commanders, and their pass defence is the sixth worst in the NFL. Perhaps the Bengals’ defence has a more advantageous game script because of the chilly weather and the typical format of AFC North games. But this is a team that struggles to stop even passable quarterbacks; don’t get me wrong.
The status of Rudolph’s career is the other factor.
Rudolph was once viewed as Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement, but things haven’t worked out for him. In 2019, he started eight games, but in 2020 and 2021, he only started one game apiece. In 2022, he did not play a single snap.
Rudolph, who recently signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh, ought to be ready to rip it on Sunday. In addition to starting the season behind both Mitch Trubisky and Brandon Pickett, he is also guiding a club that is essentially eliminated from the playoff race and faces a weak secondary. When else would you like to do this?
If there was ever a moment for Mason Rudolph to take the figurative bullet, it is now. Let it go; treat this like an audition for 31 other teams.
Pickens takes a look at it.
When it comes to players who must step up, George Pickens of the Steelers appears to be at a turning point in his career.Last week, Tomlin gave him a severe talk and questioned his level of effort. Pittsburgh is home to an endless supply of talented wide receivers, so Pickens will need to make an impression on the team during the final three games to justify his salary.
In 2023, Pickens will have three games with 100+ yards of receiving. Including a fourth would be a fitting retort to the criticism aimed at him this week. It would be wonderful even to locate the end zone, which he hasn’t done since before Halloween.
