Before playing the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football, the Pittsburgh Steelers released an ugly injury report.
The Pittsburgh Steelers received some unfavorable news on their injury report before their key Week 11 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Pittsburgh is still in the running for the sixth AFC playoff seed despite their dismal tie with the Detroit Lions in Week 10 of the season. This game is critical for the Steelers because the Chargers currently hold the seventh seed. According to their injury list, the Steelers will be without a number of important players and appear to be up against it in their quest for a victory in Week 11.
Injury report for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Spells A Sunday Night Disaster Rules Out Key Starters
T.J. Watt, one of the top players overall in the NFL, won’t be playing for the Steelers in this contest. Due to a hip/knee injury sustained against the Lions, which appeared to have the potential to finish his season, he will miss the game. Isaiahh Loudermilk, a rookie defensive end, is sidelined with a groin injury. This year, Pittsburgh’s defensive line has been completely devastated. Tyson Alualu is out for the season, Stephon Tuitt hasn’t played, and Carlos Davis, his backup, has missed much of the season due to injury. Loudermilk should be included. On Sunday Night Football, Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith will have to carry the defensive line on their backs. Joe Haden, a seasoned cornerback, will also be out, hurting the secondary.
The injury report for the Steelers wasn’t too bad on the offensive side of the ball. Left guard Kevin Dotson was the lone offensive player that was ruled out of the contest. Dotson, one of the top lineman for the Steelers this season, was hurt against the Lions and was unable to play again. Now, he’ll miss Week 11. The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, so the Steelers would have liked to have Dotson against them. They are operable, and Dotson’s presence would have been beneficial.
Confidence with COVID
The Steelers also need to deal with some COVID difficulties on top of their injury report. In particular, Ben Roethlisberger’s future is uncertain. He still has a chance to participate if his test results are negative for two days in a row. Even if he plays, it won’t be after all week of practice. Even though Roethlisberger is a shell of his former self, he still offers the Steelers the best chance to win football games, as Mason Rudolph demonstrated against the Lions. If Roethlisberger is starting at quarterback, the Steelers still appear to have a shot despite all these other ailments. However, if Rudolph is still there, forget about it.
Another player with COVID concerns is Minkah Fitzpatrick, but there is no question over his situation. Because of COVID protocols in the NFL, he will miss the game. This year, Fitzpatrick’s performance has drawn criticism, some of it justified and some of it not. Fitzpatrick has continued to be an essential factor on the back end of the Steelers defense even though the splash plays haven’t been as often as in previous seasons. Fitzpatrick is the only person in their secondary room with a skill set like his. To replace what he offers to the squad will require a team effort. On Sunday night, the Steelers defense is probably going to struggle without Fitzpatrick, Watt, and Haden.
Leave a Reply