Early in the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday loss to the Baltimore Ravens, center Maurkice Pouncey left the game with what was later reported as being a dislocated thumb on his snapping hand. While Pouncey did later return to the game, he wasn’t able to finish.
“Pouncey had a dislocated finger,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his post-game press conference. “He’ll get that addressed I’m sure as soon as we get back.”
The Steelers are of course now back in Pittsburgh and as of Monday afternoon, there’s still been no word as to the severity of Pouncey’s thumb injury and more importantly, if it will result in him missing games.
Had Pouncey injured the thumb on his non-snapping hand, it probably wouldn’t be that big deal. With that said, unless he can snap left-handed, there’s a possibility he’ll miss time starting this coming Sunday in the team’s home game against the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday, Steelers guard Ramon Foster would only say that he thinks Pouncey has a thumb injury, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We’re unlikely to know more about Pouncey’s injury and future plating status until Tomlin meets the media Tuesday. At that time, he’ll likely reveal whether or not the Steelers center needed surgery to repair his dislocated thumb.
Pouncey missed the entire 2015 season due to a broken left fibula that he suffered during the preseason as a result of Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix falling onto the back of his leg. He also missed nearly all of the 2013 season due to a knee injury that he suffered early during a Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans as a result of guard David DeCastro accidently diving into the back of his legs while attempting a cut block.
If Pouncey winds up missing time moving forward, second-year undrafted free agent offensive lineman B.J. Finney will likely start in his place at center.
