Dating back to at least Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Donte Jackson has been dealing with back injury that has hindered him, keeping him out of the lineup for Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens, and Week 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Entering the AFC Wild Card matchup on the road against the Ravens Saturday night, Jackson appears to have a shot to get back into the lineup, which would be a big boost for the Steelers’ secondary.
But that’s not a guarantee, considering how things have gone recently for Jackson. Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Jackson stated that it’s been rather frustrating to deal with a “nagging” injury and the stops and starts that come with it.
“It sucks. Coach T[omlin] had to keep talking to me throughout the week to be smart. But it is frustrating,” Jackson said of his back injury, according to a tweet from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko.
In comments via video from the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski, Jackson said he’s treating his back injury around the clock, trying to keep working without aggravating it. That seems rather difficult given the sport and position he plays.
“Gotta treat it all the way through the games, just around the clock treatment, and just getting ready to go,” Jackson said, according to video via Adamski. “It’s just keeping it comfortable, not really trying to aggravate it. Just trying to keep it warm and just like I said, just keep keeping up on the treatments. It is really just nagging, cause I’m so twitchy, you know what I’m saying? So certain moves are just aggravated a little bit.
“Just trying to just keep it comfortable and just go with the plan that the training room has for me.”
After getting injured in the Steelers’ Week 15 loss to the Eagles, Jackson missed the Week 16 matchup against the Ravens before then returning on a short week against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
In the Week 17 loss, Donte Jackson played 58 snaps and allowed four receptions for 77 yards on four targets. He seemed to be just fine from a health perspective, but then he suffered a setback leading up to the matchup with the Bengals to close the regular season.
Though he was reportedly going to play Saturday night, Jackson was ultimately inactive, leading to Cory Trice Jr. getting his first career start against the Bengals. He led the Steelers in tackles in the loss with 11 but struggled in coverage against All-Pro WR Ja’Marr Chase.
When Jackson has been healthy and on the field, he’s been an impact player. He led the Steelers in interceptions this season with a career-high five. When he’s been out of the lineup, though, there’s been some communication issues and missed assignments. He’s been a valuable piece to the team as a whole all season.
Now, entering the playoffs, Donte Jackson is seemingly feeling good, even with the injury being rather frustrating and “nagging,” as he called it. We’ll see if he’s able to make it through the week with no setbacks. If he’s able to go, that’ll be a big boost for the Steelers entering the playoffs against a familiar foe in the Ravens.
