Patriots vs. Steelers: Mac Jones, Najee Harris and Week 2 Inactives

The New England Patriots are set for a Week 2 showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 18 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.

With just under an hour until the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, the Patriots and Steelers have released their lists of inactives:

Patriots Inactives:

S Joshuah Bledsoe

CB Marcus Jones

QB Bailey Zappe

G Chasen Hines

DL Sam Roberts

What it means for the Patriots:

Having been a mainstay on the Patriots injury and practice participation reports throughout the week, Bledsoe did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and was officially ruled out on Saturday. While the Pats safeties positional grouping is well-stocked to support Bledsoe’s absence, they will miss his toughness and versatility in the defensive backfield.

Though he was not listed on any of the Pats injury reports during the week leading into Sunday’s matchup, Jones is a healthy scratch against the Steelers. Despite his above average athleticism and breakaway speed, New England has taken a slower approach to ingratiating him into their defensive schemes. The rookie out of Houston played only four defensive snaps in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.

At his best, Jones known for displaying tremendous athleticism on pass defense and outstanding open-field tackles. He also projects to have elite return skills. However, he will spend Week 2 on the sidelines, with teammate Myles Bryant manning the duties of slot cornerback and return specialist.

With quarterback Mac Jones healthy and ready to go, Zappe was an unsurprising inclusion among the inactives. Fellow rookies Hines and Roberts round out the Patriots healthy scratches for Week 2.

Steelers Inactives:

QB Mason Rudolph

C Kendrick Green

WR Steven Sims

DE Isaiahh Loudermilk

LB Mark Robinson

OLB David Ananih

What it means for the Steelers:

After failing to designate any members of their 53-man roster as out, doubtful or questionable, Pittsburgh is clearly entering the game as healthy as possible.

Though a close eye was kept on offensive lineman Mason Cole (ankle), linebacker Rob Spillane (eye) and cornerback Levi Wallace (ankle), each player was removed from Pittsburgh's injury report.

However, the best possible news for Pittsburgh was having running back Najee Harris cleared for action. Given that Harris suffered a lisfranc injury in training camp, his removal from the injury report is a clear sign that Pittsburgh’s feature back is close to full strength and ready for action.

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