Monroe Sits Out
The Ravens could be without left tackle Eugene Monroe again this week.
Monroe sat out Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury that he suffered against the Texans in Week 16. The injury held him out of the season finale against Cleveland, and Head Coach John Harbaugh said earlier in the week that Monroe has at least a "50-50" chance of playing against Pittsburgh.
If Monroe is out again this week, then rookie James Hurst will start his sixth game of the year. Guard Marshal Yanda would then play right tackle and rookie John Urschel would play right guard, which was the lineup Baltimore used against the Browns.
"We thought James played well," Harbaugh said about his performance against the Browns. "[We] really don't feel a problem with James playing in there at all either, so it's a real plus for us."
The other most significant injury concern for the Ravens is the status of defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot/ankle), who also sat out Wednesday's practice. The injury forced Jernigan out of Sunday's game, but the Ravens are optimistic that he could return as early as this week.
The only other player to sit out practice was reserve inside linebacker Arthur Brown (thigh).
Canty Full Participant
The good news on the injury front for the Ravens was that defensive end Chris Canty (thigh/ankle) returned to practice as a full participant after missing the Cleveland game.
"It was a game-time decision, and the coaches didn't feel like it was ready to go, and I didn't feel like it was ready to go," Canty said about missing the game. "Now we're looking forward."
Getting Canty back would be another boost for the defensive front, as the group also gets Haloti Ngata back this week from a suspension. Having Canty as a full participant early in the week is a good sign for Saturday, but he didn't tip his hand about whether he'll be ready.
"We'll see," he said.
Bell Sits Out Practice
The biggest question on the injury front this week is whether Steelers star running back Le'Veon Bell will be able to play this week after suffering a knee injury last week against the Bengals. Bell sat out Wednesday's practice, and the Steelers also signed running back Ben Tate as an insurance policy.
The Steelers aren't giving away any hints about whether Bell will be able to play.
"I really don't know. I don't have a crystal ball," Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said. "I know that he can't go today, and so we're just kind of taking it day by day. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow."
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and tight end Heath Miller also sat out practice, but for non-injury reasons.
On the defensive side, the Steelers had a pair of key veterans back to work Wednesday. Safety Troy Polamalu (knee) and cornerback Ike Taylor (shoulder/forearm) were both full participants after missing last week's game.
