Pittsburgh Steelers fans received good news and bad news on December 19, and both came via NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.
“For the Steelers: WR George Pickens and QB Justin Fields have both been ruled out against the [Baltimore] Ravens,” Rapoport relayed. “But… T.J. Watt has no injury designation and is good to go.”
Watt has been trending toward toughing it out all week long, even after his brother J.J. Watt spoke candidly about a couple of potential concerns. Now, officially, it appears he’ll do so — even though the star pass rusher was unwilling to confirm his injury status on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ll have to wait and see how it feels on Saturday, but I feel pretty good right now,” Watt told reporters on December 19. He also noted that he didn’t have too many limitations at practice this week but acknowledged that the Steelers didn’t do anything too intense either with it being a short week.
T.J. Watt on his injury status: “We’ll have to wait and see how it feels on Saturday but I feel pretty good right now.”
When asked about the potential of a limited snap count in Week 16, Watt expressed that he’d like to be on the field “as much as [he] possibly can.” It sounds like it’s all systems go for Watt against the Ravens.
As for Pickens, the “out” designation is somewhat disappointing following the trending workout video of the wideout on December 17. Hamstring injuries are tricky, and it seems the Steelers will continue to take things slowly with Pickens, prioritizing the playoff run.
He’ll have a chance to suit up on Christmas Day versus the Kansas City Chiefs — although that’s an even shorter week than this one.
Finally, with Fields officially “out” with an abdominal injury, third-string QB Kyle Allen will once again take over the backup duties. This time, he’ll be behind Russell Wilson rather than Fields earlier in the year.
Ravens Injury Update: Baltimore Could Be Down WRs But Diontae Johnson Still Won’t Play
On the other side of the coin, the Ravens are a bit banged up at wide receiver. Despite that fact, ex-Steelers starter Diontae Johnson has already been ruled out and is currently away from the team — which was “mutually agreed” upon according to the organization.
“Ravens WRs Rashod Bateman (foot) and Nelson Agholor (concussion) are questionable for Saturday’s game against Steelers,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec relayed on December 19.
He also noted that “OLB Odafe Oweh (ankle) and G Daniel Faalele (ankle) are also questionable. [And that] CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) and WR Diontae Johnson (NIR) are out.”
If Bateman and Agholor are unable to play on Saturday, the Ravens pass-catching corps would consist of Zay Flowers, Tylan Wallace, rookie Devontez Walker, third down running back Justice Hill and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely — as well as any potential practice squad elevations that are promoted before kickoff.
Steelers Have Dominated Ravens in Recent Seasons
It’s no secret around Pittsburgh that the Steelers have had the Ravens’ number in recent seasons. In Week 16, they’ll have to win on the road if they’re going to keep that hot streak going.
Spanning back to the start of the 2020 season, the Steelers have won eight out of nine matchups against Baltimore — and the lone loss was in Pittsburgh in December of 2022.
That means the Steelers have defeated the Ravens each of the past four times that the two rivals have met in Baltimore.
Of course, that should make Lamar Jackson and the Ravens more motivated than ever on Saturday, setting the stage for another difficult test for head coach Mike Tomlin and his team.
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Steelers Get Final Verdict on T.J. Watt & George Pickens for Week 16: Insider