The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night in a key AFC North matchup and they will do so without the services of two offensive playmakers.
According to the Wednesday participation injury report, wide receiver Lance Moore (groin) and running back Dri Archer (ankle) have both been ruled out for Thursday night.
This will make the second straight game that Moore will miss as he once again failed to practice because of a groin injury suffered several weeks ago. Archer, on the other hand, suffered his ankle injury in the second half of the season opener against the Cleveland Browns while returning a kickoff.
With Moore out, second-year wide receiver Justin Brown will more than likely once again serve as the slot receiver against the Ravens. With Archer sidelined, fullback Will Johnson is expected to be the emergency running back Thursday night.
While there are several other names on the Steelers injury report, those players are all designated as being probable. That list includes running back Le’Veon Bell (not injury related), wide receiver Antonio Brown (not injury related), wide receiver Martavis Bryant (shoulder), defensive end Brett Keisel (not injury related), cornerback Brice McCain (groin), nose tackle Steve McLendon (stinger), tight end Heath Miller (not injury related), safety Troy Polamalu (not injury related), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (not injury related), cornerback Ike Taylor (not injury related), safety Shamarko Thomas (Achilles, ankle), center Cody Wallace (finger), wide receiver Markus Wheaton (not injury related) and linebacker Vince Williams (not injury related).
It will be interesting to see if McCain is indeed healthy enough to play Thursday night after missing the game Sunday with a groin injury suffered during the preseason finale. As far as Bryant goes, there’s a good chance he might be inactive for a second straight game with the team already set to dress four other wide receivers.
