The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Wednesday as they prepare to host the Cincinnati Bengals in a must-win game on Sunday at Heinz Field and the first injury report of the week is now out.
Not practicing on Wednesday were defensive end Cameron Heyward (not injury related), safety Troy Polamalu (not injury related), defensive end Al Woods (illness) and of course cornerback Ike Taylor (ankle), who has already been ruled out for the game.
Limited in the Wednesday session were tackle Mike Adams (ankle), cornerback Keenan Lewis (hip), and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (rib). Lewis stated on Wednesday during his talk with the media that he would be ready to go by Sunday.
Sanders was expected to be limited in the early portion of the week and head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday during his press conference that they would monitor his progress throughout the week after he suffered a cracked rib early in the loss last Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys.
The status of Adams is currently up in the air right now. Tomlin said on Tuesday that they will watch him during the course of the week to determine whether or not he can help this week. Wednesday was the first practice back for the rookie tackle since he injured his ankle in the Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Regardless of the week plays out for him it is looking like fellow rookie Kelvin Beachum will make his fourth straight start at right tackle.
Cornerback Cortez Allen (groin) practiced fully on Wednesday and that certainly is good news. Allen missed the game last week with a groin injury suffered in the loss to San Diego Chargers. With Taylor still sidelined with his ankle injury the Steelers certainly need both Lewis and Allen healthy and ready play against the Bengals.
