Good to Go: Two Sick Steelers to Play Through Illness vs. Ravens

Two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who missed practice time this week due to illness will be good to go for the club’s Wild Card playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Kicker Chris Boswell and defensive tackle Cam Heyward have both been dealing with illnesses. Heyward, who said after the Steelers’ Week 18 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that he played despite having the flu, did not practice on either Tuesday or Wednesday, but was a full participant in Thursday’s practice and is once again expected to start.

The sickness didn’t slow Heyward down much against the Bengals. He had a tackle and three batted passes from the hand of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Heyward and Nick Herbig also teamed up on a big hit of Burrow that momentarily knocked him from the game.

Boswell missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday with an undisclosed illness, but is expected to play in Baltimore against the Ravens. The Steelers do not have a backup kicker on their 53-man roster or practice squad, so they must be sure of Boswell’s condition.

The Steelers also got good news on the status of veteran tight end MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt was limited in practice on Tuesday and did not practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, but he was a full participant on Thursday and is expected to play against the Ravens. Pruitt missed five games over two stretches with a reoccurring knee injury earlier this season.