Mike Tomlin Delivers Huge News On Calvin Austin III Return
The Pittsburgh Steelers may receive a massive boost to their offense ahead of Week 8's Sunday Night Football game vs. the Green Bay Packers — as HC Mike Tomlin provided some promising news on the return of Calvin Austin III.
On Tuesday, Tomlin shared a health update on Austin — who’s missed two games with a shoulder injury he suffered vs. the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 — claiming the lightning-fast receiver could return against the Packers on Sunday night.
"Calvin Austin is scheduled to work this week," Tomlin told reporters. "We'll let his participation and the quality of that participation be our guide in terms of his availability. As we stand here today, we're optimistic — and I know certainly he's optimistic about his ability to be included."
Back in Week 4 during the Steelers' Ireland game, reports of Austin being hospitalized for his shoulder injury left the Steel City in a frenzy, but Pittsburgh appears to be on the verge of getting one of its top playmakers back on offense — just in time for an important prime-time game vs. the Packers on October 26 at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
Vikings Get Major Update on RB Aaron Jones Ahead of ‘TNF’
Considering the Minnesota Vikings have had to pivot to veteran journeyman Carson Wentz under center due to J.J. McCarthy nursing a high-ankle sprain, head coach Kevin O’Connell and company have done an admirable job of keeping their heads above water at 3-3.
However, the margin for error will continue to shrink for the Vikings moving forward, especially heading into a matchup against a desperate and talented Los Angeles Chargers team in a short week.
The Vikings might get a boost in the backfield during the Thursday night matchup against the Chargers, with an intriguing update from O’Connell on veteran running back Aaron Jones.
Major Update on the Status of Vikings RB Aaron Jones
During media availability, O’Connell gave a crucial and positive update on Jones’ status ahead of Week 8 against the Chargers.
“Also wanted to make note that Aaron Jones’s 21-day window is opening up today,” O’Connell said. “That’ll be something that will happen today, and we’ll see where he’s at potentially for his availability on Thursday night.”
Jones is working his way back from a hamstring injury, which has limited him to only two games so far this season. The return of the veteran would definitely help out the run game, which in turn will help the passing game for Wentz and ultimately McCarthy.
Jones has carried the football just 13 times for 46 rushing yards.
Carson Wentz Gets Another Start for Vikings
The big question heading into a short week in Week 8 is whether the Vikings would have J.J. McCarty back under center after missing so much time due to the high-ankle sprain, which is always a tricky injury to come back from.
Unfortunately for McCarthy, it will be another week of waiting for the young quarterback, as he’s just not ready yet to return.
“Earlier this morning, we did put J.J. McCarthy through an on-field workout just to see if he had a chance to make it this week,” O’Connell said. “We’re all kind of encouraged about where he’s at and the progress he’s making, but he’s just not there.”
With McCarthy still not ready to get back under center as the starter for Minnesota, the team will turn to Carson Wentz once again.
“Carson Wentz will start, Max [Brosmer] will be the backup and J.J. will be available in case of emergency as the third. Like I said, encouraged about where he’s at and very much looking forward to continuing his progression and hopefully having a chance to go next week.”
Heading into Week 8, Wentz has thrown for 1,072 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions, which obviously aren’t great numbers, as he started strong, taking over for McCarthy and has cooled off with O’Connell seemingly itching to get his young quarterback back under center sooner rather than later.
It’ll be interesting to see if Wentz can lead the Vikings to a win against a struggling Chargers squad before handing the starting job over to McCarthy.
