Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Ryan Shazier, and a few other starters were no-goes so far this week in practice.
Ryan Shazier didn’t miss any time after leaving for a few plays last Sunday with an ankle injury. However, he did not participate during the team’s first practice this week, along with a few other Steelers.
Shazier is a solid candidate to play Monday night, but missed practice is a concern. Tight end, Vance McDonald, who also sat out Wednesday, returned to the game after his ankle injury a few weeks back but has yet to see the field since. Hopefully Shazier is different, but there is room for worry prior to Week 13’s game.
The good news for Pittsburgh is that JuJu Smith-Schuster returned to practice after missing Week 12 with a hamstring injury. The rookie sensation has been dying to get on the field since going down against the Tennessee Titans. The Steelers will be very excited to add him back to their arsenal against AFC North rival, Bengals.
Injury Report
Pittsburgh Steelers
Did Not Participate
CB Joe Haden (Fibula)
LB Ryan Shazier (Ankle)
TE Vance McDonald (Ankle)
S Mike Mitchell (Ankle)
LB James Harrison (Knee)
Full Participation
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Hamstring)
Cincinnati
Did Not Participate
LB Vincent Ray (Hamstring)
LB Nick Vigil (Ankle)
S Shawn Williams (Hamstring)
Limited Participation
TE Tyler Kroft (Wrist)
OT Cedric Ogbuehi (Shoulder)
Pittsburgh will need as many players as possible in this physical matchup. Cincinnati never goes down easy and is always one of the Steelers’ most hard-fought opponents. Even if their record isn’t what many expected it to be, they’ll certainly bring everything they have against their AFC leading rival.
Next: Joe Haden optimistic about return
Do not expect everyone who’s listed not to play, but for right now, it’s justifiable to stay pessimistic about Shazier’s playing time Monday night.