The Pittsburgh Steelers are now less than 90 minutes away from kickoff in their last AFC North game in Ohio coming in Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season. Coming off a tough loss last week in Cleveland and moving on from their offensive coordinator this week, the Steelers are looking to get back into the AFC North race.

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 elevating one practice squad player on Saturday and having 53 players on the roster, they have six inactives as the Bengals also have six players on their inactive list.

New to the 2023 season is a modified return of the “third quarterback rule.” Every NFL team who has a third quarterback on their 53-man roster will include him on their inactive list, but he is 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 six players inactive for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 12 matchup against the Bengals according to Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph (3rd QB)
No. 26 RB Anthony McFarland Jr.
No. 39 S Minkah Fitzpatrick
No. 40 LB Blake Martinez
No. 57 DT Montravius Adams
No. 60 T Dylan Cook

Although he was listed as questionable on Friday with a shoulder injury, cornerback James Pierre is active.

Mason Rudolph is on the list now for the eleventh time as the Steelers third quarterback and will be in uniform which is technically an upgrade from last season. Joining Rudolph as a regular on the inactive list is tackle Dylan Cook who was a healthy scratch for all but two games this season when the Steelers were dealing with injuries along the offensive line.

Seeing Minkah Fitzpatrick on the inactive list is as expected because he was ruled out on Friday for the fourth-straight week with his hamstring injury. Another player ruled out Friday was defensive tackle Montravius Adams even though he returned to practice this week but was limited each day.

The last two players on the inactive list for the Steelers in Week 12 are running back Anthony McFarland and linebacker Blake Martinez. McFarland has been active the last two games since he returned from the Reserve/Injured List. But for this week, Godwin Igwebuike gets a helmet after being inactive the last two weeks. As for Blake Martinez, he just joined the Steelers on Wednesday so the decision was made on Saturday to elevate Tariq Carpenter from the practice squad for the third-straight game.

As for the Bengals inactive list, it can be seen below. Linebacker Germaine Pratt (Illness) is active.

Bengals Inactives

No. 5 WR Tee Higgins
No. 25 RB Chris Evans
No. 29 CB Cam Taylor-Britt
No. 63 C Trey Hill
No. 70 OT D’Ante Smith
No. 97 NT Jay Tufele