The Pittsburgh Steelers are now less than 90 minutes away from their kickoff for Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season. Coming off three-straight losses against the top opponents they have seen all season, the Steelers are back at home in prime time to face a Bengals team grasping to slim hopes of a postseason berth.

As is always the case, 90 minutes before kickoff is when teams must announce their inactive list for the upcoming game. With 48 players active for each team, the number of players on the inactive list depends on if a team makes any practice squad elevations. With the Steelers not elevating any players from the practice squad, their inactive list is five players. As for the Bengals, they have seven players inactive.

Keep in mind that last season implemented a modified return of the “third quarterback rule.” Every NFL team who has a third quarterback on their 53-man roster may include him on their inactive list, but he can be designated as a third quarterback and is therefore in uniform in case of injury to the two players ahead of him on the depth chart. But if one of the players is deemed healthy enough to return, the third quarterback goes back to their role on the sideline.

Here are the five players inactive for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 against the Bengals according to Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 4 QB Kyle Allen (3rd QB)
No. 13 WR Scott Miller
No. 26 CB Donte Jackson
No. 92 DT Isaiahh Loudermilk
No. 94 DE Dean Lowry

This week, no players had already been ruled out for the Steelers coming into the game the only player with an injury status was cornerback Donte Jackson who was questionable with his back injury which has been an issue for weeks which kept him out of one game and prevented him from finishing two others. All things considered, Jackson is inactive against the Bengals and Cory Trice is set up to have a big role with the defense.

When it comes to the third quarterback, Justin Fields is back from his abdominal injury which puts quarterback Kyle Allen on the inactive list but still in uniform as the team’s third option.

The Steelers have three other healthy scratches for the game this week in wide receiver Scotty Miller and defensive tackles Dean Lowry and Isaiahh Loudermilk. When it comes to Scotty Miller, he had been getting a helmet recently with injuries to George Pickens followed by Ben Skowronek. With both players back, Miller returned to the inactive list.

For Dean Lowry, he has been on and off the inactive list this season depending on the health of other players. With all the defensive linemen healthy, the Steelers chose to have two inactive and go with five outside linebackers and four defensive linemen. This is the first time Isaiahh Loudermilk has been inactive this season with the Steelers opting to have Preston Smith active after he did not get a helmet in Week 17.

As for the Bengals inactive list, it can be seen below. Wide receiver Tee Higgins is active but running back Chase Brown is not.

Bengals Inactives

No. 15 WR Charlie Jones
No. 30 RB Chase Brown
No. 51 LB Isaiah Thomas
No. 73 OT Andrew Stueber
No. 81 WR Jermaine Burton
No. 84 TE Tanner McLachlan
No. 94 DE Sam Hubbard