Two Steelers active for the first time in 2019 in the final week of the season vs. the Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their inactives for their game against the Baltimore Ravens. With two players ruled out due to injury, the list is made up of five healthy scratches.

Pro Bowl center, Maurkice Pouncey was ruled out on Tuesday due to his knee injury during head coach Mike Tomlin‘s press conference. Although he was not called out early in the week, running back James Conner failed to practice all week is also out for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. Since Conner missed time starting in Week 9 in 2019, the Steelers are 5-0 when Conner is out due to injury and 0-3 when Conner played in some capacity.

With five remaining spots on the inactive list and eight players who have been healthy scratches over the last several weeks for the Steelers, at least three were guaranteed to earn a helmet in Week 17. Quarterback Paxton Lynch is active for the second time in 2019 as he is the only other quarterback on the roster other than starter Devlin Hodges. Rookie defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs was inactive two games ago when the Steelers opted for only four defensive lineman, but has since been active since and is a part of the rotation on game day.

Second year safety Marcus Allen was promoted from the practice squad a week ago but was inactive last week as the Steelers chose to go with only three players at the position. For Week 17, Allen earned a helmet for his first game of the season and only the third of his career. Another player active for the Steelers for the first time in 2019 is newly promoted center J.C. Hassenauer as he will act as the backup to B.J. Finney.

As for the rest of the inactive list, it has familiar faces when compared to the last several weeks. The players filling up the inactive list are OT Chukwuma Okorafor, LB Tuzar Skipper, CB Artie Burns, TE Zach Gentry, and WR Amara Darboh.

As for the Ravens’ inactives, they can be seen below. The Ravens have sat seven players who are typical starters and may have other starters who are dressed but may not see much playing time.