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First Call: Kenny Pickett plays and injures ribs; Mason Rudolph starts; James Conner shines, but hurts knee | TribLIVE.com
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First Call: Kenny Pickett plays and injures ribs; Mason Rudolph starts; James Conner shines, but hurts knee

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett throws Sunday against the Washington Commanders in Landover, Md.

Monday’s “First Call” gets us up to date on the injury front for Steelers-Chiefs on Christmas Day.

We have details on Kenny Pickett’s first extended snaps in Philadelphia. Mason Rudolph gets another start in Tennessee. James Conner has a mixed day for the Arizona Cardinals.

Plus, we look at some teams staying alive in the AFC playoff picture.

Checking on the Chiefs

The Steelers aren’t the only team banged up heading into the Christmas Day game at Acrisure Stadium. The Chiefs are dealing with some injuries too.

During Saturday’s win over the Houston Texans, linebacker Jack Cochrane fractured his ankle, star defensive lineman Chris Jones strained his calf and tackle Jawaan Taylor strained his knee.

On the Chiefs’ estimated practice report Sunday, Jones and Cochrane were listed as non-participants. So was tackle D.J. Humphries (hamstring) and Chamarri Conner (concussion). Taylor was estimated to be limited.

Every other injured Chief — including two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes — was projected as a full participant. That list also includes center Creed Humphrey, safety Justin Reid and wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

During his Sunday press conference, Mike Tomlin said that all the Steelers who didn’t play Saturday in Baltimore — George Pickens, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, Larry Ogunjobi and Justin Fields — have a “real chance” of playing Wednesday.

Joey Porter Jr. and Ben Skowronek are questionable.

Pickett plays

On Sunday in Washington, former Pitt Panther and Pittsburgh Steeler Kenny Pickett saw significant action for the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time this season.

Starting quarterback Jalen Hurts was knocked out in the first quarter against the Commanders with an apparent concussion. Pickett stepped in to polish off a drive deep in Washington territory with a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown.

Brown would wind up with 97 yards on the day. That made the score 14-0 Eagles. But Pickett didn’t throw another touchdown pass from there.

Philly did score 33 points, though, largely because of former Penn State Nittany Lion Saquon Barkley. He had 29 carries, 150 yards and two touchdowns, including a 68-yarder.

Pickett ended up 14 of 24 for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 13 yards and was sacked three times. Up 30-28, Pickett could’ve iced the game with a perfect throw just before the two-minute warning. But Devonta Smith dropped it.

Following a Philly field goal, Washington took the ensuing kickoff and drove 57 yards for a touchdown to win it 36-33.

Washington improved to 10-5 with the win. Philadelphia fell to 12-3. After the game, Pickett told NBCSPhilly that he needed an X-ray for injured ribs. Further evaluation will be needed this week.

Good day, bad result

Another former Panther and Steeler, James Conner, had a great individual day against the Carolina Panthers but a lousy team result.

The running back posted 117 yards on 15 attempts. He also scored a touchdown.

Conner had 49 receiving yards but also injured a knee and didn’t return to the game. Arizona lost in overtime 36-30 on a Chuba Hubbard touchdown run.

Hubbard walked away with 152 rushing yards and two scores. The loss dropped the Cardinals out of playoff contention at 7-8.

Mixed day for Mason

As for another former Steeler, Mason Rudolph had an up-and-down start for the Tennessee Titans against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Getting the call instead of one-time Penn State Nittany Lion Will Levis, Rudolph was 23 of 34 for 252 yards. He also threw two touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Calvin Ridley.

Although Rudolph also had three interceptions, including two by Kenny Moore.

The Colts ended up winning 38-30. Indianapolis is still alive in the AFC Wild Card mix at 7-8. They close the season in New York, playing the Giants next week, and are home for Jacksonville in Week 18.

This was Rudolph’s fourth start of 2024. The Titans are 1-3 in those games.

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On the outside

Along with Indianapolis, two other teams are currently outside of the AFC playoff race and are still alive to qualify: Miami and Cincinnati.

None of them entered the weekend with better than a 12% chance of making the postseason.

All three are still alive after improving to 7-8. The Colts beat the Titans, 38-30. The Dolphins topped the San Francisco 49ers, 29-17, and the Bengals won an AFC North game over the Cleveland Browns, 24-6.

As of now, there are two playoff spots still available. They are currently held by the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. Both are 9-6.

As listed above, the Colts have the easiest path with games against the Giants (2-13) and Jaguars (3-12).

Cincy is home against Denver next week and in Pittsburgh (10-5) for Week 18. Miami is in Cleveland (3-12) and at the New York Jets (4-11).

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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