Steelers Rule Out James Conner and Maurkice Pouncey for Week 17 vs Ravens

Ahead of a make or break Week 17 matchup with the 13-2 Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that they will now be without two of their best starters on offense, as running back James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey have been ruled out for the game.

While the team has made due without Conner for a decent chunk of the season (he's played in just 10 games and the team is actually 5-0 in games without him), the loss of Pouncey could really hurt them as he has been arguably their best lineman this season.

Steelers ruled out RB James Conner and C Maurkice Pouncey for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 27, 2019

With Duck Hodges set to start at QB for the team on Sunday, the Steelers will need a miracle to prevail against the Ravens (even the backups for Baltimore are scary).

I’m going against Steelers QB Devlin “Duck” Hodges, Ravens DC Wink Martindale said: “People in Carroll County told me duck hunting season started here on Dec. 16.”
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 26, 2019

With a run game featuring Jaylen Samuels and rookies Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte, Pittsburgh will need to rely on their defense in this contest as they hope to sneak into the final AFC Wild Card spot. Things sure won't be easy for them.