PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers might get a chance to say goodbye to one of his favorite places after all.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there’s a chance that Rodgers and his fractured left wrist could still play on Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago.
Rodgers injured his non-throwing wrist late in the first half of Pittsburgh’s 32-14 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday. While Tomlin said Rodgers wanted to come back in, the four-time MVP remained in the locker room for evaluation while backup Mason Rudolph helped the AFC North-leading Steelers pull away to improve to 6-4.
The 41-year-old Rodgers, the NFL’s oldest active player, will not need surgery on the wrist. He will not practice on Wednesday. What happens after that will depend on how Rodgers adjusts to the brace he will wear and how that impacts his ability to operate normally.
Tomlin doesn’t expect pain tolerance to be an issue, though Rodgers will have to show he’s able to protect himself.
Rudolph, who filled in capably in the second half against the Bengals, would start for Pittsburgh against the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers can’t go.
Rodgers has a long history with Chicago, dating to his highly successful run in Green Bay earlier in his career. He is 11-1 as a starter at Soldier Field and once famously proclaimed he “owned” one of the NFL’s oldest franchises.
Tomlin brushed aside the idea that Rodgers’ dominance over the Bears will play a factor in whether he plays.
“Aaron always wants to play. Opponent has nothing to do with it,” Tomlin said. “It’s his love affair with the game of football.”
Tomlin isn’t sure exactly when Rodgers sustained the injury, though cameras caught Rodgers clutching the wrist after a second-down heave to the back of the end zone with Pittsburgh driving late in the first half. Rodgers was hit at the end of the play, though he did stay in to make one more pass, an incompletion to Roman Wilson.
Rudolph completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals and will practice with the starters until Rodgers returns, whenever that might be.
Tomlin has sometimes allowed veteran players to miss an entire week of practice and then play on Sunday. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spent a week on the COVID-19 list in 2021 but was cleared to play the night before a visit to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The unknown of how the brace will affect Rodgers means he won’t be given that accommodation. Tomlin said the team will need to see how the brace affects what he called Rodgers’ “functionality” before deciding whether he can play.
Asked what kind of input Rodgers will have, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach chuckled.
“It’s his body, so certainly he’s gonna be a component of the discussion,” Tomlin said.
Rudolph gives Pittsburgh a reliable fallback option. The 30-year-old — now in his second stint with the Steelers following a lengthy run as primarily a backup from 2018-23 — memorably won three straight starts at the end of the 2023 season to help the Steelers make the playoffs.
“He’s proven over his time here that he’s capable of coming in and playing winning football for us,” Tomlin said. “And that’s no small task.”
While offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Rodgers work closely in putting the game plan together, Smith also seeks input from Rudolph, one of the reasons Pittsburgh’s offense didn’t miss a beat against the Bengals and the NFL’s worst defense.
The challenge will be more difficult in Chicago, where the Steelers have won just once in 13 tries. The Bears lead the NFL in takeaways and are second in third-down efficiency.
Rodgers isn’t the only player whose status is uncertain for this week. Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith continues to deal with a pectoral injury that forced him to sit out against the Bengals. Cornerback Darius Slay could be back after spending last week in the concussion protocol.
Running back Jaylen Warren, who injured his ankle in the third quarter against Cincinnati, will be limited this week but could be available. Kenny Gainwell compiled 105 total yards and two receiving touchdowns on Sunday while getting an expanded look, which seems likely to continue.
While Warren was cleared to return late against the Bengals — and even went back onto the field at one point, only for the Steelers to call timeout — Tomlin opted to stick with Gainwell, whom Tomlin felt had the “hot hand.”
The trip to Soldier Field begins a daunting three-week stretch for Pittsburgh, which has a tenuous one-game lead over Baltimore. Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo on Nov. 29, then opens December by visiting the Ravens.
NOTES: Tomlin, who initially took issue with cornerback Jalen Ramsey being ejected on Sunday for taking a swing at Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, offered a different perspective on Tuesday, a day after the league suspended Chase one game for spitting on Ramsey. Asked how he’d like to see Ramsey address something similar in the future, Tomlin said: “I have no message if someone spits in your face. Do what comes natural.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
