Roethlisberger to sit out finale against Browns
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to let Ben Roethlisberger rest up for the playoffs.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Roethlisberger will not play when the AFC North champion Steelers (12-3) visit rival Cleveland (10- 5) in the regular- season finale on Sunday.
Pittsburgh can finish no worse than third in the AFC and is out of the running for home-field advantage after defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City locked it up last weekend.
So rather than put the 38-year- old Roethlisberger at risk, backup Mason Rudolph will return to the scene of the ugly brawl that marred the end of Pittsburgh’s previous visit to FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Browns drilled the Steelers 21-7 on Nov. 14, 2019, a game in which Rudolph threw four interceptions. Even worse, he and Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett got into a fight in the final minutes that ended with Garrett ripping off Rudolph’s helmet and hitting Rudolph with it before being taken out by Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
The aftermath included Garrett — who claimed he erupted after being called a racial slur by Rudolph, an accusation the league could not substantiate and one Rudolph denied — getting suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season.
Tomlin said he is not concerned about last year’s incident being a factor for Rudolph.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it, but I’m sure he’s excited about getting the opportunity to start, certainly,” Tomlin said.
Garrett has moved on after being reinstated during the offseason and in addition to having a standout year was also the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, an honor given to players for their work both on and off the field.
The Browns can end their 18-year playoff drought with a victory.
The best the Steelers could hope for this weekend is a win over Cleveland and a loss by Buffalo, a combination that would lift Pittsburgh to the AFC’s second seed and assure it home field in each of the first two rounds should the Steelers make it that far.
HENRY POISED TO REPEAT AS RUSHING LEADER >> Derrick Henry has been running into lots of NFL records, and now he’s a game away from joining another exclusive group.
Only six men have led the NFL in rushing in consecutive seasons since the league went to a 16-game season, and no one has managed that feat since LaDainian Tomlinson went back to back in 2006 and 2007.
Henry led the NFL with 1,540 yards rushing last season before running the Tennessee Titans to their first AFC championship game in 17 years. Henry easily has topped that with 1,777 yards, putting him 220 ahead of Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook going into Sunday’s regular-season finale at Houston (4-11).
RAMS PLACEWRKUPP ON COVID-19 LIST >> In advance of a possible must-win Week 17 game in order to advance to the playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams placed top wide receiver Cooper Kupp on the COVID-19/reserve list and signed veteran quarterback Blake Bortles to serve as a backup.
The Rams could have secured a playoff spot with victories in either of their past two games, but lost both. Now they face the Arizona Cardinals at home Sunday, with the season possibly on the line.
The team has not said if Kupp tested positive or was in close contact with somebody who did. He is in selfquarantine and could possibly play Sunday if it was a close- contact situation and he later tests negative for COVID-19, while not showing symptoms.
If Kupp does play, he will be catching passes from backup quarterback John Wolford, who has never taken a snap in a regularseason game. Wolford is replacing starter Jared Goff, who had thumb surgery this week and was ruled out of Sunday’s game.
QB HASKINS CLEARS WAIVERS, BECOMES FREE AGENT >> Former Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins was not claimed on waivers and officially became a free agent, NFL Network reported after the second-year player was released by the club Monday.
NEWTON’S FUTURE WITH PATRIOTS IN SPOTLIGHT AFTER BLOWOUT LOSS >> Cam New ton didn’t want to talk about his future with the Patriots following New England’s 38-9 loss to Buffalo on Monday night.
But he couldn’t stop his frustration from seeping through about how a season that began with lofty expectations has fallen apart.
Newton had a touchdown run but finished just 5 of 10 for 34 yards passing before being pulled in the third quarter for backup Jarrett Stidham.
Newton’s 34 yards passing were the fewest by a Patriots starting quarterback since 1993. It marked his fourth time this season with fewer than 100 yards passing in a game.
“It’s extremely frustrating, knowing what you’re capable of, having belief in yourself,” Newton said. “It’s just not showing when it counts the most.”
The loss Monday was a microcosm of Newton’s year. A season full of mistakes, a stagnant passing game and only flashes of the MVP player he was earlier in his career.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen passed 320 yards and four touchdowns, joining Alex Smith as the only visiting quarterbacks to throw four or more TD passes with no interceptions in a game at New England’s Gillette Stadium.
COVID-19 CASES CLIMB IN LATEST ROUND OF TESTING
>> The NFL and NFL Players Association reported 58 positive COVID-19 tests in the past week, up from 45 in each of the two previous weeks. A total of 21 players and 37 staff members tested positive during the period from Dec. 20-26.
Since monitoring began on Aug. 1, a total of 222 players and 396 other personnel have had confirmed positive tests for COVID-19. Approximately 881,510 tests have been administered through Dec. 26.