Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Gameday
Promising OL Leads Steelers Inactives vs. Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without rookie guard Mason McCormick, among others, during their AFC Wild Card game at Baltimore on Saturday night.
McCormick suffered a broken hand in the Steelers’ regular season finale against Cincinnati last week. He headed Pittsburgh’s inactives for the playoff matchup. Also included were receivers Scotty Miller and Jamal Agnew, cornerback Cory Trice Jr., outside linebacker Preston Smith, and defensive end Dean Lowry. Kyle Allen will be the team’s emergency third quarterback.
Trice had trouble against the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, named a unanimous All-Pro this week. Chase had 10 receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown as Cincinnati won 19-17. That was part of a four-game skid to finish off the regular season for the Steelers, who haven’t lost five in a row since 2009.
Trice being out means the Steelers will have their top two covermen healthy and in the lineup, as both Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson have dealt with ailments of their own during the second half of the campaign.
Miller has been an auxiliary receiver this season, totaling five grabs for 69 yards. In the pass game, Pittsburgh will rely on George Pickens to have a bounce-back game after a tough showing against the Bengals.
Smith was acquired in a trade with the Green Bay Packers earlier in the season, providing veteran depth behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. Smith has played sparingly, making 13 total tackles and two sacks in his time in the Steel City.
McCormick’s absence is another blow to an offensive line that lost rookie tackle Troy Fautanu and guard James Daniels earlier this year.