After their bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be facing a Cleveland Browns team at full strength when the two teams meet in Week 8. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said RB Kareem Hunt and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss “weeks” with injuries suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
That’s according to this tweet from the AP’s Tom Withers.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team is expected to play Hunt on injured reserve. As Withers’ tweet notes, Stefanski isn’t sure of the status of QB Baker Mayfield and WR Odell Beckham Jr.
The Browns are reeling after a 37-14 home loss to the Cardinals yesterday, dropping Cleveland to 3-3 on the season. Hunt rushed for 66 yards on 14 carries before going down Sunday. While he avoided a season-ending Achilles injury, he won’t be back for several more weeks. The team was already without starter Nick Chubb, held out due to a hamstring injury. His status for the next two games is unclear.
JOK had looked like one of the best rookies this season, recording 29 tackles, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble in five starts this year, showcasing his elite athleticism on a weekly basis.
Mayfield has battled a shoulder injury for most of the season and suffered a hard landing on it yesterday on a strip-sack fumble. Despite popping in and out of the medical tent, he did not miss much time. Veteran Case Keenum is the team’s backup. Beckham also battled an injury throughout the game. His season has been quiet, failing to find the end zone so far this season and only going over 30 yards receiving in two games.
Cleveland will be on a short week when they face Denver Thursday night. They’ll get a ten day layoff before hosting Pittsburgh in Week 8, a Halloween afternoon game.
The Steelers, meanwhile, are getting healthier and will have the bye week to rest up the injuries the team is dealing with. It doesn’t guarantee but puts Pittsburgh in a better position to notch a key AFC North victory in their next game.
