The Steelers go into tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals a relatively healthy team, but at Week 18, no team is truly healthy.
Cornerback Donte Jackson is inactive after landing back on the injury report this week with his back injury.
Jackson missed the Week 16 game against the Ravens with the back injury but returned for the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Jackson said he had a ‘set back’ in practice this week.
While the secondary will be without Jackson, fellow cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is returning to the field. Porter missed the Chiefs game with a knee injury but is good to go against the Bengals.
“I wanted to get out there as soon as possible,” said Porter after practice on Thursday. “I’m back now. I’m healthy. I feel good. So, I’m ready to play,”
When he is out there on the field, he expects to see a lot of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. In the Week 13 meeting, Higgins had five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown.
“Yeah, definitely going to see Higgins again,” said Porter. “I think overall he’s a good receiver. He’s got a lot of good qualities in his game that I like. He can go attack the ball, he’s pretty fast, so it’s going to be a good matchup.
“They’re just clicking. They’ve got Joe Burrow, a great quarterback, and they’ve got some good talent on the outside. They’re just clicking, spreading the ball around and really just catching balls and making plays.
“I feel like they’ve got a good group over there, and it’s always good to go against great talent and show my skills. I’m ready for this game and I’m prepared for it.”
Porter knows the entire defense is prepared as well, ready to wash away the feeling from losing the last three games and get on the right path heading into the postseason.
“I feel like we all want to get rid of that bad taste,” said Porter. “Going into this, this is a very personal game for all of us. We’re taking the game very seriously, like every weekend.
“We are just trying to show everybody that we know how to play defense still.”
The full list of inactives is below.
