Steelers place Maurkice Pouncey on Reserve/COVID-19 List prior to Ravens game

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are supposed to play in Week 12 at some point. It was supposed to be on Thanksgiving night, then Sunday afternoon, then Thursday night and now Wednesday afternoon.

As we wait for kickoff, you can rattle off some big name players who will be out of the lineup for both the Ravens and Steelers. Players like:

Lamar Jackson
Calais Campbell
Stephon Tuitt
James Conner
Matthew Judon

Just to name a few. Well, you can add another big name player to the list, and that would be Steelers veteran center Maurkice Pouncey. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is placing Pouncey on the Reserve/COVID-19 List prior to the 3:40 p.m. ET kickoff.

Pouncey missing the game will have big time ramifications for the Steelers’ offense. Not only has he had a tremendous season after a down year in 2019, but the Steelers no longer have the insurance policy of Stefen Wisniewski who they signed in the offseason via free agency.

Wisniewski spent the majority of his time in Pittsburgh on Injured Reserve after injuring his pectoral muscle in Week 1, and when he was taken off IR he was released. He was eventually picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs, his former team.

The Steelers now will turn to J.C. Hassenauer at center, and seemingly no proven depth behind the former Alabama product. Did you expect anything else prior to this Week 12 game between AFC North rivals?

Stay tuned to BTSC for more on this story as well as the latest news surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for some afternoon football at Heinz Field.