Le'Veon Bell hoping to face Ravens

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is hoping to play in his first postseason game less than a week after his career flashed in front of his eyes.

Bell did not practice Wednesday, but he said he did some light jogging and rode a stationary bike as he works his way back from a hyperextended right knee.

Bell is questionable at best to play Saturday night in an AFC wild-card game against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, but the second-year man is walking without a limp.

"My leg feels great," said Bell, who left the Steelers' 27-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night after taking a helmet shot on his knee. "It feels good to be able to move around and not think about it much."

Bell said the key to playing against the Ravens is getting his knee strong enough so he isn't thinking about it when he is on the field.

"I don't want to play fearing my knee getting hurt," said Bell, who led the AFC with 1,361 rushing yards this season. "It's not an injury like an MCL where you go out there and play and it gets worse. That doctors have told me that's not what it is, that it's not something that can get worse if [I] do play, so that's a good thing to hear. If I feel ready, I'm definitely going to try to get on the field and play."

Coach Mike Tomlin has said the Steelers won't rush Bell back from the injury that did not leave the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder with any ligament or structural damage. Bell has to show the Steelers that he is able to protect himself, Tomlin said, before the eighth-year coach allows him to return to action.

The Steelers signed fourth-year veteran Ben Tate as running back insurance Tuesday. Rookie Josh Harris, who had been on the Steelers' practice squad until getting signed to the 53-man roster last month, is in line to start Saturday night if Bell doesn't play against the Ravens.

Bell said Harris, who had a 59-yard run against the Bengals negated by a holding penalty, is ready if the Steelers need the undrafted rookie to anchor the ground game.

But Bell also said not to count him out as far as playing in the Steelers' first postseason game since 2011.

"I didn't expect to be feeling this well this early," Bell said after the Steelers' first practice of the week. "When [the injury] happened, so many thoughts went through my head. It was scary. It was more scary than anything. I feel great. If I can do more [Thursday] I'm going to try."