Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a limited practice participant on Thursday and Friday and is listed as questionable on the official injury report for Sunday’s game against the Bears. He has been dealing with a fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist.
Rodgers said on Wednesday (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor) that his priority is “safety” rather than pain management, suggesting that he is more concerned about sustaining additional damage to his wrist than he is about playing through discomfort. The 41-year-old quarterback was seen wearing protective gear on his left wrist during practice this week, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic.
When asked about a more specific timeline for making a decision, Rodgers deferred to head coach Mike Tomlin.
Mason Rudolph will start on Sunday if Rodgers cannot go. The six-year veteran had two brief relief appearances earlier this season and an extended showing in Week 11 after Rodgers’ injury. Rudolph played well to close out a win over the Bengals, completing 12 of his 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, though that did come against the worst defense in the NFL.
The Bears have a bottom-10 defense and rank 30th with 6.2 yards per play allowed, but they lead the league with 22 takeaways. That sets up a somewhat simple challenge for Rudolph: take care of the football. In Chicago’s seven wins, they have forced 20 turnovers; in their three losses, they have forced just one.
If Rodgers does not play on Sunday, he seems trending towards a return in Week 13 against the Bills in a matchup that could have significant implications for AFC playoff seedings.