Getty Images Defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Friday the Pittsburgh Steelers held their third and final practice in anticipation of Sunday’s season-finale against the Baltimore Ravens. Two Steelers reserves have already been ruled out of the game—rookie linebacker Buddy Johnson and backup defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs—while rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. is considered doubtful.
Moore suffered an ankle injury during Monday night’s win over the Cleveland Browns, while Buddy Johnson has a foot issue and has been placed on injured reserve. Like Moore and Johnson, Buggs did not practice on Friday, though he has been sidelined by an illness, not an injury.
If Moore does in fact miss Sunday afternoon’s season-finale, it will be the first start he has missed in a rookie season in which he has outstripped expectations. Like rookie center Kendrick Green, Moore was a Week 1 starter and has held down the left tackle job ever since. As for Green, he started 15 consecutive games before being sidelined by a calf injury suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As for the four other players on the most recent injury report, all were full participants in practice on Friday and all are expected to play against the Ravens. That includes offensive guard Trai Turner (knee), safety Terrell Edmunds (groin) and cornerback Arthur Maulet (illness).
Terrell Edmunds’ Best Ability Continues to be His Durability
Edmunds has been noticeably durable over the course of his career, having appeared in 63 of a possible 64 games during his first four years in the NFL. Yet he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, as the Steelers declined to exercise his fifth-year option back in May 2021. “It’s my contract year now,” said Edmunds in response to that decision.
Well, his contract year has looked remarkably similar to previous seasons. In 16 starts he has recorded 80 tackles (60 solo), with eight tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and three passes defensed.
Thus far in his career the former first-round pick (No. 28 overall in 2018) has played 3,940 defensive snaps and 424 special teams snaps and has been responsible for 337 tackles (232 solo), with 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, four interceptions and 18 passes defensed, this according to Pro Football Reference.
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2 Ravens Ruled Out for Sunday
Of course, the injury issues being faced by the Steelers (8-7-1) pale in comparison to the injury problems faced by the Ravens (8-8), who have 18 players on injured reserve.
Moreover, starting quarterback Lamar Jackson is going to miss his fourth consecutive game with an ankle issue. Also ruled out is cornerback Anthony Averett (ribs/chest), while outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (foot) is considered doubtful. The Ravens also have three players who are considered questionable, those being wide receiver Devin Duvernay (ankle/knee) and offensive guards Ben Powers and Ben Cleveland.
The winner of Sunday’s Steelers-Ravens game will finish second in the AFC North while the loser will finish third. The Steelers will earn a place in the postseason with a win and a Jacksonville Jaguars victory over the Indianapolis Colts, provided that Sunday’s Chargers-Raiders game does not end in a tie.
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