Steelers LB Elandon Roberts out vs. Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has announced that linebacker Elandon Roberts is out and will miss the team’s key game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Roberts has a pectoral injury that he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. He was slow to get up after making a tackle against wide receiver Andrei Iosivas of the Bengals. After that, trainers were seen to be working on his left shoulder. That hit turned out to be costly and he’ll miss at least Pittsburgh’s Week 17 game.

This season, Elandon Roberts has been one of the key players in the interior of the defense for the Steelers. He has 100 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, and has defended two passes in 15 games this season.

Mark Robinson is listed behind Elandon Roberts on the Steelers depth chart.

Likely due to the injury, the Steelers also recently signed linebacker Jaylon Smith. A former second round pick, Smith was a Pro Bowler in 2019 after having a phenomenal college career at Notre Dame. However, he has struggled to find consistent NFL success. The Steelers will be his sixth NFL team since 2016 and his third of the 2023 season.

This game is a vital one for Pittsburgh with only two regular season games remaining. At 8-7, winning the AFC North is out of reach. However, a Wild Card spot isn’t. The problem is that the field is incredibly crowded right now and the Steelers are one of eight teams that won’t win its division that currently has a record between 7-8 and 10-5.

Much like Pittsburgh, Seattle is battling for a Wild Card in the NFC. This is going to be a battle and missing Elandon Roberts hurts.

Roberts’ status for the regular season finale against the Ravens remains unknown.

Mason Rudolph expected to start at QB for Steelers vs. Seahawks

Another key position that the Steelers have had issues with is the quarterback position. This season, Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph have all started games for Pittsburgh. Now, Rudolph is once again expected to start against the Seahawks.

Rudolph recently led Pittsburgh to a  34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. He had an impressive 290 yards passing and two passing touchdowns in the win.

The team continues to monitor Kenny Pickett. A first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickett was injured earlier this season and hasn’t been able to get back on the field since.