During his weekly news conference Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin termed his team as “relatively healthy” headed into the playoffs.
Aside from an illness afflicting one player, that was true during the first practice of the week leading into the team’s playoff opener.
Starting running back Jaylen Warren did not practice Thursday, according to the league-mandated injury report. There is no reason to believe that Warren’s status is in any jeopardy for Monday night’s wild-card game against the Houston Texans.
On the morning of the Steelers’ most recent night game — at home against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 15 — Warren was announced as questionable to play because of illness.
He ended up with 15 touches for 48 yards and said afterward that illness was never going to stop him from playing.
The Steelers’ leading rusher this season with 958 yards and six touchdowns in addition to 40 receptions for 333 yards and two touchdowns, Warren has appeared in two prior postseason games but never started one.
The only other players listed on the injury report have been on it for several weeks and have been playing through their ailments: quarterback Aaron Rodgers (wrist), receiver Ben Skowronek (hand), long snapper Christian Kuntz (knee) and outside linebacker T.J. Watt (lung). All practiced fully Thursday. Watt returned from a three-game absence for this past Sunday’s regular-season finale.
