You knew as soon as Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was signed to a contract extension that there would be people wanting to throw the injury prone tag out as a reason why the team shouldn’t have locked him up.
It is true that during his first four seasons in the league that Pouncey has missed 18 regular-season games and two playoff games. However, when you look back at how the injuries occurred over the years, I would label him more as being injury unlucky as opposed to being injury prone.
2010 – Week 9 – at Cincinnati Bengals
During his rookie season, Pouncey played every offseason snap until this injury happened against the Bengals in Week 9. As you can see, Pouncey trips over a fallen Bengals defensive back and his right knee lands on the arm of that player. While Pouncey did leave the game for 12 plays, he did return.
2010 – Week 11 – Oakland Raiders
In Week 11 of his rookie season, Pouncey suffered a left knee contusion against the Raiders with 12 minutes left in the third quarter. The injury resulted in him missing the rest of the game, but he wound up playing every snap in the next five games.
2010 – Week 17 – at Cleveland Browns
In the 2010 regular season finale against the Browns, Pouncey left the game with just over 4 minutes left in the third quarter following the play below. The Steelers called the injury a stinger and with the team leading 38-3 at the left, there really was no reason for him to return to the game.
2010 – AFC Championship Game – New York Jets
In the 2010 AFC Championship Game against the Jets, Pouncey was done for the rest of the playoffs after having a linebacker fall on his left ankle from behind with just over 6 minutes left in the first quarter.
2011 – Week 5 – Tennessee Titans
Pouncey started off the 2011 season by playing every snap in the first four games. In the Week 5 game against the Titans, however, the right leg injury that occurred during the play below forced him to miss six plays in the third quarter. Pouncey returned to finish the game.
2011 – Week 12 – at Kansas City Chiefs
Against the Chiefs in Week 12 of the 2011 season, Pouncey left the game after the first 20 plays because of the flu. He had lost a lot of weight leading up to that game.
2011 – Week 14 – Cleveland Browns
While I don’t have a good shot of the play, Pouncey suffered a left high ankle sprain against the Browns in the second quarter. If you remember, this was after Ben Roethlisberger left the game injured. This injury forced Pouncey to miss the next two games and while he played every snap in the season finale against the Browns, a setback during the week of practice leading up to the AFC Wild Card Game forced him to sit out against the Denver Broncos. Pouncey wound up having surgery on that left ankle.
2012 – Week 6 – at Tennessee Titans
The 2012 season started off with Pouncey playing every snap in the first four games of the season. However, on the first offensive play in the Week 6 game against the Titans, Pouncey was again rolled up from behind and suffered a right knee injury. That injury put him out for the rest of the game and he missed the next game against the Bengals as well. Upon returning to action in Week 8, he never missed another snap for the remainder of the season.
2013 – Week 1 – Tennessee Titans
Just eight plays into the 2013 season, an errant cut block by guard David DeCastro resulted in Pouncey tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee. The injury put him out for the remainder of the season.
