Pittsburgh Steelers injury report: Antonio Brown amongst three significant inactives

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without three stars, including wide receiver Antonio Brown, in Week 17 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Running back James Conner will play after testing his knee before the Steelers’ Week 17 showdown with AFC North rival Bengals. While Pittsburgh’s offense will regain a major Pro Bowler in the backfield, they’ll lose one in the receiving core, along with two defensive starters. 

Safety Sean Davis and linebacker Vince Williams will also be inactive today. Davis is suffering from a quad injury and missed the final two days of practice this week. Williams is dealing with a toe injury and was unable to participate before Week 17.

This will give Terrell Edmunds more playing time and LJ Fort at middle linebacker. The two have shined when handed the starting job this season, and should get plenty of chances to make plays against a beat up Bengals offense.

Antonio Brown’s absence will leave a dent in the offense. The receiving game still has JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ryan Switzer, but losing AB is a significant loss to the team. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may look James Washington’s way a few times after an impressive performance against the Patriots two weeks ago.

James Conner will make his way back onto the field after missing the previous four weeks with an ankle injury. Rookie Jaylen Samuels and veteran Stevan Ridley have stepped up big in his absence. Samuels should continue to see a role after putting up multiple 100-yard performances while Conner recovered.

It’s do or die week for the Steelers as a win doesn’t even secure them a playoff spot. They’ll need to play their A game to keep their hopes alive and put their playoff destiny in the hands of the Cleveland Browns. First thing is first, they need to beat the Bengals.