The Pittsburgh Steelers earned a major win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, beating them 34-12 on the strength of two second-half defensive touchdowns and a big day from running back Kenneth Gainwell. It did come with its costs, however.
The Steelers lost two key offensive starters to injury in the game as quarterback Aaron Rodgers and running back Jaylen Warren both left with injuries. Rodgers exited the game at halftime with a left wrist injury and did not return.
The Steelers will know more about his status after further evaluation on Monday, but early indications are it should not be a long-term injury.
Initial reports indicate that Rodgers may have suffered a small fracture in his left wrist. He has reportedly told people close to him that he expects to be back soon.
Rodgers had seen his play slump in recent weeks but completed 9-of-15 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown on Sunday in the first half before leaving the game.
He was replaced by backup Mason Rudolph. The Steelers offense only had two offensive series in the second half with Rudolph, but both of them resulted in points with the Steelers kicking a field goal on his first drive and scoring a touchdown on his second drive. He finished the game 12-of-16 passing for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Rudolph is in his second tenure with the Steelers and has started several games for the team throughout his career. They have shown an ability to win games with him in the past, as he owns an 8-4-1 record in his 13 starts with the team.
While his play on Sunday was limited, the offense did seem to be more efficient with him leading it. He also seemed to be more poised in the pocket and did not prematurely escape the way Rodgers has been.
If he does have to start the Nov. 23 game against the Chicago Bears (or more beyond that), it could result in the Steelers running more of their offense through their running backs, including Warren (assuming he is healthy) and Gainwell. That has been a winning formula for them this season.
Shortly after Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders endured what he referred to as a “rough” regular-season debut during the club’s 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that the second half of the Baltimore game was Sanders’ first time playing with the starting offense since the draft.
While speaking with reporters on Monday, Stefanski was asked if he would “have changed anything about the approach” regarding the handling of Sanders after what occurred on Sunday.
“I think it’s important that you do what you think is right for a football team,” Stefanski responded, per the Browns’ website. “The development of our players is constant. It doesn’t happen just in one drill or in one practice or one meeting. So, we trust our guys, we trust our backup players to be ready to go. And Shedeur is ready to go. Obviously, I know he wants to play better. I want to coach better, all those types of things, but that’ll come through work. That’s where it will come.”
The Browns bumped Sanders up to the QB2 spot on the depth chart after they traded Week 1 QB1 Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 7. Sanders was called into action at the beginning of the second half of the Baltimore matchup after starter Dillon Gabriel was ruled out with a concussion.
In total, Sanders completed 4-of-16 passes for 47 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against Baltimore. He probably should’ve had at least one other pass picked off, and he committed an intentional grounding penalty and was sacked twice.
Damien Woody and Shannon Sharpe are among the former NFL players who have suggested Stefanski set Sanders up to fail via the coach’s “very strange” distribution of first-team reps. With Gabriel in the concussion protocol, Sanders is on track to serve as Cleveland’s starter for preparations leading up to this coming Sunday’s game at the Las Vegas Raiders (2-7).
“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski added about possibly giving a rookie backup first-team reps during practices. “I will say this. We trust our players. Shedeur is putting in great work. You know, on the field, in the meeting room, he will be better with reps that he’s getting. …But we trust him and he’s somebody that’s continued to put in the work and will continue to do so.”
Barring a surprising development, Stefanski and Co. should be able to install a game plan built for Sanders this week. If the 23-year-old plays poorly against the Raiders, he almost certainly will return to the bench as soon as for the Browns’ Week 13 game versus the San Francisco 49ers.