Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 11, 2020.
On Thursday the Pittsburgh Steelers continued with on-field preparations for Sunday afternoon’s AFC North tilt against the Cleveland Browns and it was almost all hands on deck.
However, Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro missed practice for the second day in a row with his abdominal issue, while wide receiver Diontae Johnson was a limited participant with his back injury. Both players suffered their respective injuries against the Philadelphia Eagles and were unable to finish the game.
The good news is that everyone else who missed practice on Wednesday was back today as a full participant. That means: QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, LB/S Marcus Allen, FB Derek Watt, C Maurkice Pouncey, TE Eric Ebron, OLB T.J. Watt and DE Stephon Tuitt.
Cleveland Browns Injury Update
As for the Browns, they had 15 players on their injury/participation report today, including WR Odell Beckham Jr., who missed practice with an undisclosed illness.
The players who missed practice due to injury were:
S Ronnie Harrison (Concussion)
S Karl Joseph (Hamstring)
WR Jarvis Landry (Hip/Ribs)
LB Jacob Phillips (Knee)
G Wyatt Teller (Calf)
CB Kevin Johnson also missed practice, but his absence was not injury related.
Meanwhile, the list of Browns players who were “limited participants” on Thursday also included some big names, headlined by QB Baker Mayfield (Chest) and RB Kareem Hunt (Thigh), the latter of whom made some curious comments on Wednesday, dedicating ‘this one to Myles Garrett,’ and relating how he and Garrett bonded last year over their long NFL suspensions.
The remainder of the limited participants were:
LB Tae Davis (Elbow)
C JC Tretter (Knee)
DE Olivier Vernon (Groin)
DT Larry Ogunjobi (Abdomen)
Ravens Defensive Coordinator Still Hacked Off at Bengals Head Coach
In other notable news from the AFC North, Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was still upset today when asked about Bengals head coach Zac Taylor choosing to kick a field goal with 37 seconds left in last Sunday’s meeting between the two teams. The move allowed Cincinnati to avoid a 27-0 shutout.
According to ESPN staff writer Jamison Hensley, Martindale said, “He knew what it was because it was awful quiet when I yelled it across the field. There are some people that take that as a victory. We’ll see. We’ll have plenty to talk about the next time we play them.”
Hensley notes that it was “only the fifth time since the 1970 merger that a team kicked a field goal in the final minute to avoid a shutout, according the ESPN Stats & Information….”
Moreover, “there have been only two other instances in the past 50 years when a team kicked a field goal in the final minute to avoid a shutout while trailing by more than 20 points.”
One of those came in 2006, when Jon Gruden—then the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—elected to kick a field goal with no time left in a 20-3 loss to Bill Cowher’s Steelers.
The Ravens and Bengals are scheduled to meet again in Week 17 at Paul Brown Stadium on January 3, 2021.
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