The Pittsburgh Steelers go into Week 17 against the Browns with a few injuries, but also some players being held out for precautionary reasons.
The Steelers can gain a number 1 seed over the Patriots with a win over Cleveland and a loss for New England.
Maurkice Pouncey looks like he won’t play on Sunday and there is not a great reason to play him. He has been dealing with a hip injury the past few weeks and I have a feeling that the Steelers are trying to rest it in time for the playoffs. There is also a possibility that he reinjured his hip and that is a worse sign as Pouncey is a perennial Pro Bowl Center. BJ Finney would likely play center in his absence.
Antonio Brown has already been ruled out with a partially torn calf muscle. The reports are that he will be ready for the playoffs and that is when the Steelers will need him the most. Justin Hunter will probably get to dress in his place as he caught a touchdown last week. Martavis Bryant and Juju Smith-Schuster will be asked to do the primary receiving duties.
There has been some good news as both Ramon Foster and Coty Sensabaugh have practiced fully this week and that is a good sign that both will be able to go. I could also see a possibility where those players are rested for the playoffs. Foster has been a consistent left guard for the Steelers over the years. Sensabaugh is a backup at the outside corner. He may be called upon again if Joe Haden or Artie Burns goes down with an injury. There is also the possibility that Cameron Sutton has jumped him on the depth chart.
The Steelers also seem to be resting their other stars Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Cameron Heyward. They did not practice on Wednesday and were limited on Thursday. This may be a sign that they will sit out and have two weeks of rest going into the playoffs.
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The Steelers sat out their top players last year against the Browns, but they didn’t have anything to play for that week. It will be interesting to see if their healthy stars go on Sunday.