Aaron Rodgers Leaves Steelers Game With Hand Injury

PennLive's Nick Farabaugh went on to report that Rodgers headed to Pittsburgh's locker room early before halftime and stated that it appeared he was bleeding. As the teams came out for the start of the second half, head coach Mike Tomlin stated on CBS' broadcast that Rodgers was being evaluated for a wrist injury and that the Steelers were getting Mason Rudolph ready to play.

Implications of Rodgers' Injury

Rodgers remained in the contest after coming up with his injury and threw an incompletion in the direction of Pat Freiermuth before Pittsburgh settled for a field goal that extended its lead to 10-6 entering halftime.

As a result, Rudolph could very well make his season debut in the second half of a crucial divisional bout with the Bengals that could have major implications on how the AFC North standings shake out this year.

Before sustaining his injury, Rodgers had thrown for 116 yards and a touchdown while completing nine of his 15 pass attempts on the day.

The 41-year-old had remained healthy for the entire season up to this point, and entering Week 11, he had racked up 1,853 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a completion rate of 66.8 percent.

Can Rudolph Help Steelers' Offense Wake Up?

While Rodgers has done an admirable job this season for the Steelers, he's coming off of a Week 10 performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in which he threw two interceptions with a season-low completion percentage of 51.6% to go alongside 161 yards as Pittsburgh lost 25-10.

The Bengals' defense is among the worst in the NFL, and though Pittsburgh has led throughout the entire contest, the offense hasn't exactly lit it up against them.

Rudolph hasn't had a chance yet this year, but perhaps he could be the spark the Steelers need.