Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured his left wrist late in the first half, leading to an early exit in the 34-12 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said after the game.
Tomlin said Rodgers will be further evaluated Monday morning. ESPN reported that the Steelers initially were concerned that the 41-year-old QB had “a slight break” in his non-throwing wrist, and NFL Network reported that X-rays at Acrisure Stadium showed a small fracture.
Rodgers was tackled after an incomplete pass and landed on his left wrist and hand with 17 seconds left. After a timeout, he threw another incomplete pass before coming out as the Steelers’ Chris Boswell kicked a 25-yard field goal.
After first declared questionable to return due to a hand injury, Rodgers was not seen on the sideline after halftime. The coach said he didn’t know if Rodgers could have kept playing.
“I don’t have the answer to that, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said. “I’ll have more information next time we talk.”
Tomlin said he did speak with Rodgers after the game as the Steelers improved to 6-4.
“He was excited about the win,” Tomlin said. “I just talked to him, but that’s all we talked about. We didn’t talk about his injury. We talked about the significance of the win.”
Rodgers completed 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers took a 10-6 lead before halftime.
Veteran Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers at quarterback in the second half for Pittsburgh and went 12 of 16 for 127 yards and one touchdown, a 5-yard pass to Kenneth Gainwell in the fourth quarter. The Steelers’ defense contributed two touchdowns on Kyle Dugger’s 73-yard interception return and James Pierre’s 34-yard fumble return in the second half.
Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren also was downgraded from questionable to out because of a left ankle injury. Warren finished with 10 carries for a team-high 62 yards.
Warren called it a “tweak” that led the team to keep him out as a precauation.
“It was just part of being smart,” Warren told ESPN. “Got a lot of games ahead of us, so they were just looking out for me.”
–Field Level Media
