Joey Porter Jr., Justin Fields injury update: Steelers Christmas inactives revealed vs. Chiefs

Ahead of a pivotal Christmas Day showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released their inactives list on gameday.

Quarterback Justin Fields will be among the inactives, as will cornerback Joey Porter Jr. That will leave Pittsburgh without one of its top defenders in the secondary.

You can view the complete list of inactives below.

Pittsburgh Steelers Inactives List

QB Justin Fields*
WR Ben Skowronek
CB Joey Porter Jr.
DE Preston Smith
DE Dean Lowry

* Denotes emergency third quarterback

George Pickens opens up on injury status

One player not on the inactives list ahead of the matchup with the Chiefs is wide receiver George Pickens.

The Pittsburgh Steelers released their Monday injury report ahead of Week 17’s Christmas day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, updating the status of wide receiver George Pickens and others before the matchup.

Pickens, who was a full participant in Pittsburgh’s practice, gave a brief update on his status on Monday as well, saying he felt “good.” He was also asked if he’d be able to suit up on Wednesday.

“I hope so,” said Pickens. “It depends on how I feel. … I feel good. But who makes the decision is [with] the coaches and the doctors. Whatever they tell me to do, I am doing.”

Pickens hasn’t played since Dec. 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite this, he’s still the team’s leading receiver at 90 receptions, 850 yards, and three touchdowns this season. The Steelers will be hopeful he can return against the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but signs appear to point toward Pickens being healthy by the Steelers’ wild card game.

At the very least, his not being on the inactives list is a good sign.

On3’s Barkley Truax also contributed to this report.