PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers were without starting cornerback Donte Jackson for their 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. That could be the case once again when the take on the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
On Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Jackson “feels good this morning,” but wouldn’t commit to him playing on Saturday night. Tomlin added that the team will watch Jackson’s recovery throughout the week to determine if he will play.
Jackson was ruled out for the Steelers regular season finale as he continues to deal with a pinched nerve in his back. He first suffered his back injury in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns.
If Jackson is unable to play for a second week in a row, backup cornerback Cory Trice will start in his place once again. The second-year cornerback made his first career start for the Steelers on Saturday and held his own for the most part, registering 11 tackles (seven solo) and one tackle for a loss.
Tomlin seems to be okay if Trice needs to step up once again, saying Trice did “some nice things” against the Bengals and gained some valuable experience.
Still, it won’t be easy to replace the production of Jackson, who leads the team with five interceptions, which ranks sixth in the NFL this season.
The Steelers are hoping to end their seven-year playoff win drought in their AFC North division rival’s stadium. Having Jackson back on the field will make that job a little bit easier, so it’s safe to say he’ll play if he’s at least close to being healthy.