George Pickens, DeShon Elliott and other injured players have 'real chance' to return against Chiefs

Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dec 22, 2024

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is optimistic that several of his injured players, including top receiver George Pickens, will return for Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tomlin said Pickens, safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and backup quarterback Justin Fields all have "a real chance" to return to the lineup for the Christmas Day game at Acrisure Stadium.

Pickens has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, while Elliott (hamstring) and Ogunjobi (groin) have missed the past two. Jackson missed the Ravens game with a back injury, and Fields missed it due to an abdominal injury.

With their third game in 11 days and their second in five days, the Steelers will hold light walk-throughs on Monday and Tuesday, so there will be no chance to gauge how the injured players perform in practice.

"It's really about getting a clean bill of health and us being able to forecast the amount of snaps they'll be able to take from a conditioning perspective," Tomlin said.

If Pickens does return, it will be a big lift for an offense that has struggled without him. The Steelers have averaged just 19 points per game in the games he has missed.

"He's a splash playmaker," Tomlin said. "He's a one-on-one playmaker. Oftentimes, he controls schematics, which creates one-on-one for others or a light box for the run."

Tomlin is less optimistic about the chances for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and receiver Ben Skowronek, both of whom were injured and did not return against the Ravens. Porter suffered a knee injury and Skowronek a hip injury.

"We're still in the process of assessing," Tomlin said. "But anyone who didn't make it out of the stadium [Saturday] on a four-day turnaround probably will have a difficult time showing for this week."

What he said

"I don't know how dominant they need to be. They're 14-1. This is the ultimate parity league. These games often come down to one score. The good teams usually find a way to get out of stadiums with great consistency. And they've done that." — Tomlin on the Chiefs this season compared to their past two teams that won the Super Bowl.

Our take

The Chiefs have not been as dominant as they have been in recent years, but they've been able to sustain their reign atop the AFC by showing a unique ability to win close games. Eleven of their 14 victories this season have been by one score (eight points or fewer). That ties the NFL record. The Steelers, by contrast, are 6-3 in one-score games this season.

Up next

The Steelers lead the all-time series against the Chiefs, 23-14, but the Chiefs have won the past three meetings. The most recent meeting came in the playoffs, a 42-21 Chiefs win in an AFC wild-card game following the 2021 season. That was Ben Roethlisberger's final game with the Steelers.