Aaron Rodgers was held out of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 31-28 Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears due to a fracture in his left wrist. The veteran quarterback reportedly wanted to play (big surprise), but the Steelers erred on the side of caution and went with backup Mason Rudolph.
With Rudolph at the helm, the Steelers were unable to best the Bears. To make matters worse, the loss cost them their lead in the AFC North, as they were jumped over by the Baltimore Ravens.
Mike Tomlin expects Aaron Rodgers to play in Week 13
Would things have turned out differently if Rodgers had played against Chicago? Perhaps, but we’ll never know. All Pittsburgh can do now is look ahead, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided a promising update on Rodgers after the loss to Chicago.
"I anticipate him being ready for next week [against the Buffalo Bills]," Tomlin said. "It was a prudent decision to make. Certainly, it wasn't a fluid week for him. It was a fluid week for Mason in terms of reps and so forth, and so I think it'll be in our rear view as we move forward. I'm hopeful of that."
Obviously, it’s good news for the Steelers that Rodgers’ wrist injury won’t cost him additional weeks on the sideline, as they’ll need him for the stretch run of the season, especially now that they’ve lost the lead in the division.
The Steelers have six games left on the schedule this season, including two matchups with the Ravens – one in Baltimore and one in Pittsburgh. Those two contests will likely go a long way towards determining which team will ultimately win the division.
The Steelers can’t afford to look ahead to the Ravens, though. In Week 13 they’ll face a tough Bills team that will be hungry for a win after losing to the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football this week. At least the Steelers should have their starting quarterback for that one.