The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their fifth game of the season in a 31–28 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The loss already stung, but things got even worse when left tackle Broderick Jones exited in the second half with a neck injury that was initially described as a “stinger.”

There was some early hope he might be able to return, considering stingers don’t always require players to miss time. But that optimism didn’t last long. On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin shut the door on the possibility, confirming that Jones will not play against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.

“Broderick Jones has a neck injury,” the head coach said. “He’ll be classified as out this week. I’ll have more information for you the next time we get together, but certainly he’ll be classified as out.”

Jones sustained the neck injury while blocking a Bears defender on a broken play. He was yanked by his helmet, causing his neck to snap back awkwardly. The LT went down in visible pain and stayed on the ground for a while before eventually getting up and walking off under his own power. Still, despite the early hope created by the fact that he walked off unaided, it’s now clear: he won’t be suiting up against the Bills, and there’s no firm timeline yet for his return.

And the bad news doesn’t stop there. The Steelers are dealing with injuries on the defensive side as well. In addition to Jones being ruled out, Mike Tomlin confirmed that defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is also unavailable for Sunday. The rookie first-rounder suffered a knee injury against Chicago.

“Same thing goes for Derrick Harmon,” Tomlin added. “He sustained a knee injury in play. But he’ll be classified as out this week.”

However, Tomlin didn’t clarify whether the injury is to the same knee Harmon hurt in the preseason, the one that suffered an MCL sprain, leaving that detail up in the air. What isn’t unclear, though, is where the Steelers stand. The AFC playoff race is jam-packed, with 10 teams already sitting at six wins or more. Pittsburgh is slowly slipping in that crowded picture, and a win over the Bills would breathe some much-needed life into their postseason hopes.

But the challenge gets tougher, as Tomlin’s squad will be without two key pieces on Sunday. And on top of that, there’s still no official word on whether Aaron Rodgers will return.

Mike Tomlin is still unclear on Aaron Rodgers’ return

Aaron Rodgers went down with a fracture in his wrist in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals and had to sit out the Week 12 loss to the Bears. His absence was obvious, and now the big question is simple: Will Rodgers be back next weekend against the Bills?

On Tuesday, Coach Tomlin spoke about it. He didn’t give a hard confirmation, but he did say Rodgers would be limited to start the week, a sign that the team is being careful. However, Tomlin later added that he was optimistic about Rodgers being available for Sunday’s game against Buffalo.

“Aaron worked his tail off to get to us last week, but as I mentioned over the course of this weekend, it was the prudent and appropriate decision,” Tomlin said. “We’ll start this week with great optimism, though we’ll certainly limit him at the early portions of the week. But we’re comfortable with the general trajectory.”

In Rodgers’ absence, Mason Rudolph stepped in against the Bears. The backup quarterback completed 24-of-31 passes for 171 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. But he failed to utilize it in a crucial win, as the Steelers fell to the Bears. Now with the Bills lining up next, Rodgers is expected to return. Will he? Won’t he? That remains to be seen, as we await the official confirmation.