Steelers offensive lineman Mason McCormick has a fractured bone in his hand and his availability for Saturday’s wild card playoff game in Baltimore is questionable as the team begins preparations for the Ravens.
Second-year lineman Spencer Anderson replaced McCormick at right guard late in the fourth quarter and would be in line to start if McCormick cannot play. Coach Mike Tomlin said McCormick is being fitted for a brace, and he said he’ll wait to watch McCormick in practice this week before making a determination on his game status.
Cornerback Donte Jackson, who has been in and out of the lineup for the past month due to a back injury, also begins the week questionable, but no other players have any major injuries that will prevent them from playing against the Ravens.
Cory Trice Jr. made the first start of his career against the Bengals in Jackson’s place.
“Cory is a hard-working guy,” Tomlin said. “He doesn’t have a lot of experience. It was good experience for him, and it’s reasonable to expect him to build upon that.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on Monday that his No. 1 receiver Zay Flowers is day-to-day with a knee injury he suffered in the regular-season finale against the Browns. The NFL Network is reporting Flowers has a sprained knee and could miss the Steelers game.
What he said
Tomlin on why the team has endured slow starts to games during the four-game losing streak: “That’s a good question. Some of it has had to do with the people that we’ve played and they have done a nice job. Some of it has had to do with us. Rest assured, we’re working extremely hard to rectify it, and I’m excited about taking another whack at it this week.”
Our take
During the losing streak, the Steelers have been outscored 40-3 in the first quarter. The Bengals jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Saturday night, and the Chiefs outscored them 13-0 on Christmas Day.
The Steelers have struggled with slow starts all season. The offense enters the postseason ranked 29th in first-quarter scoring, averaging 2.8 points.
Getting off to a better start against the Ravens will be vital. The Ravens have a losing playoff record with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback, so the pressure will be on Saturday night for him and the team to get off on the right foot. If the Steelers can play well early, the Ravens could start to feel that pressure.
Up next
The Steelers play the Ravens at 8 p.m. Saturday night in an AFC wild card game on Amazon Prime. This is the fifth playoff matchup between the franchises and the first to take place in Baltimore. The Steelers are 3-1 in the playoffs against the Ravens, winning in 2001, 2008 and 2011 with the lone loss coming in 2014. The Steelers are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five seasons, and the Ravens are in the playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.
First Published: January 6, 2025, 5:49 p.m.
Updated: January 7, 2025, 4:09 p.m.
