The Pittsburgh Steelers are scheduled to play the Buffalo Bills on the road on Monday afternoon after a weather postponement as part of 2023 Super Wild Card weekend. If you’re like me, you’re counting down the hours until this playoff game begins. As usual, I will attempt to project the Steelers’ inactives for this game, as I have for every game of the 2023 season. Below is my best guess as to which players won’t be given helmets against the Bills on Monday afternoon at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.
Game inactives are officially announced 90 minutes before kickoff, so make sure you check back at that time to see the names of the players for both teams who will be sitting the game out. Also, the newer roster rules make this exercise even harder, as teams can elevate up to two players from their practice squads to their active roster for game day. Teams also can dress up to 48 players for games if eight offensive linemen are dressing. The emergency quarterback rule is also back in place for the 2023 season.
QB Mitch Trubisky – In the road regular season finale, Trubisky was inactive for just the first time this season. He was, however, listed as the team’s emergency third quarterback so he was in uniform for that contest. Trubisky found himself on the inactive list after QB Kenny Pickett returned from his ankle injury to serve as the backup to QB Mason Rudolph. With Rudolph remaining the starter on Monday against the Bills and with Pickett remaining his backup, look for Trubisky to be on the inactive list once again when it is released 90 minutes ahead of kickoff. Trubisky should be the dressed emergency quarterback for this contest, however.
OLB T.J. Watt – As expected, Watt was officially ruled out on the team’s Friday injury report for the Sunday Super Wild Card game against the Bills because of a knee injury that he sustained in the regular season finale. This will be the first game that Watt has missed this season, and the hope is that he might be able to return to action from his Grade-2 MCL Sprain in a limited role if the Steelers advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs by beating the Bills on Monday. Watt, who was voted First-Team AP All-Pro for a fourth time on Friday, ended the regular season as the NFL’s annual leader in sacks. The Steelers will attempt to fill his shoes on Monday with a rotation at the outside linebacker position that should include Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, and rookie Nick Herbig. OLB Kyron Johnson will also dress again on Monday to help out on special teams.
OT Dylan Cook – The Steelers have had Cook on their inactive list for most of their games this season and we should expect that to be the case once again on Monday afternoon against the Bills. Cook has only dressed for one game so far this season, and that was only due to other injuries on the Steelers’ offensive line. The Steelers have been rolling with rookie offensive lineman Spencer Anderson as an active player over Cook this season, and there’s no reason to think that won’t be the case again on Monday against the Bills at Highmark Stadium. The team has dressed eight offensive linemen for games all season.
CB Darius Rush – Barring a surprise, it’s hard to imagine Rush dressing on Monday afternoon against the Bills as they have more than enough healthy defensive backs on their roster as they enter this Super Wild Card game. Rush has seen action in just three games this season with his last playing time coming in Week 14. In those three games that Rush did dress for, the rookie cornerback played a total of 39 defensive snaps and 20 others on special teams. In short, look for Rush to be on the inactive list for a fifth consecutive game on Monday afternoon.
DE DeMarvin Leal – The Steelers made Leal inactive for their final three regular season games and he only dressed once in the final five contests. Because of that, it’s not hard to imagine Leal being inactive again on Monday against the Bills as the team is once again likely to have at least one defensive lineman on their list against the Bills. The Steelers have been rolling with DE Isaiahh Loudermilk over Leal as of late and I fully expect that trend to continue Monday afternoon. Leal, the team’s third-round draft pick in 2022, seems to have fallen out of favor with the team this season.
ILB Blake Martinez – In the regular season finale last Saturday, ILB Elandon Roberts returned to action after missing one game with pectoral injury and that forced Martinez back to the inactive list once again. While Martinez was active for the team’s Week 17 road game, he did not see any playing time in that contest as he was mainly an emergency option on both defense and special teams. Martinez has dressed for just two games since joining the Steelers and that has led to him logging just 26 total defensive snaps. There’s no reason to think that Martinez will get a helmet on Monday against the Bills.
S Elijah Riley – The final inactive for Monday isn’t as obvious as the first six and that’s due to the return of S Minkah Fitzpatrick and S Damontae Kazee for this game. The Steelers also elevated ILB Myles Jack and S Eric Rowe from the practice squad on Sunday, moves that were expected to happen. All that said, and even though Riley did play 19 special teams snaps in the regular season finale a week ago, my guess is that he will be the final inactive on Monday against the Bills.
