A small break in Aaron Rodgers left wrist is not necessarily enough to force a break in his season, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday.
Rodgers asked to return to Sunday’s 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals despite a fracture in his left wrist and is leading the push for play this week as Pittsburgh takes on the Bears (6-4) in Chicago.
“Really, it’s just about bracing and securing it for his comfort and safety. And then, it’s about how functional he is,” Tomlin said, calling Rodgers’ status for Week 12 “to be determined.”
It’s understandable Rodgers might like to push his way into a 30th career game against the Bears. He’s 24-5 all-time with 64 touchdowns and 10 interceptions playing the Bears from 2008-22 with the Green Bay Packers.
With no true deadline to determine Rodgers’ readiness, Tomlin said he plans to follow team and league norms by withholding judgment on his plan for the game until after Friday’s practice.
Mason Rudolph relieved Rodgers against the Bengals and completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
“We’ll see where the week leads us and we’ll take it day by day,” Tomlin said.
The Steelers (6-4) maintain a one-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens (5-5) in the division. The AFC North rivals meet twice in the final five regular-season games: Dec. 7 at Baltimore and the first weekend in January at Pittsburgh.
