With the regular season over, the Pittsburgh Steelers have only the playoffs left in front of them. Considering they just battled through 17 games, the Steelers are actually in a decent place from a health standpoint. They dealt with a few injuries over the final few weeks, but a lot of players are back now. However, Mason McCormick suffered an unfortunate injury in the season finale, leaving his status for the Steelers’ Wild Card game Saturday in question.
“I won’t wear a cast, so we’ll just have to wait and see how the week goes,” McCormick said Tuesday via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Twitter. “We don’t know, but we’ll take it day to day, and we’ll see. I’m definitely optimistic. It’s feeling a lot better already.”
During his weekly press conference, Mike Tomlin said that McCormick has a chance to play this week. That might seem like a quick turnaround for a player with a broken hand, but it sounds like McCormick is tough as nails. It’s curious to hear that he won’t wear a cast, though. That’s usually something players do when they have an injury like McCormick’s.
Perhaps McCormick just doesn’t feel comfortable playing with a cast. He might feel like his level of play drops too much wearing one. Whatever the reason, it makes the situation more uncertain as to whether he’ll play against the Ravens in Baltimore.
Even if McCormick wants to play, ultimately, the decision isn’t up to him. Doctors and coaches will have to give him the okay. The Steelers have been cautious with injuries this year, so it’s uncertain if they’d give McCormick the green light. They were willing to be patient with players like Russell Wilson and George Pickens.
However, with this potentially being the Steelers’ final game this season, there might be a little more urgency about getting McCormick onto the field. Though he’s a rookie, the fourth-round has done an admirable job starting for the Steelers. He hasn’t been perfect, but his toughness is almost always on display.
If he can’t go, Spencer Anderson will likely get the start at right guard this week. That isn’t anything new for Anderson, who started for the Steelers earlier this year while LG Isaac Seumalo was out with an injury. It’s not ideal, but the Steelers could have worse options.
To beat the Ravens, the Steelers might need all the help they can get. The Ravens crushed them just a few weeks ago, and not having McCormick would hurt an already struggling Steelers offensive line. As the week progresses, we’ll find out more about whether McCormick is able to go against the Ravens. Playing with a broken hand does not sound fun at all.
