On Sunday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers secured an AFC North victory against the Cleveland Browns. When they try to earn another against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, they may not have all of their defensive backs. Speaking to reporters following the team’s 23-9 win Sunday, Mike Tomlin noted Pittsburgh suffered several injuries to the secondary, though he indicated S Miles Killebrew was the only major one.
“Got some bumps and bruises associated with play,” Tomlin said post-game via the team’s YouTube channel. “The only worth mentioning of any significance is Miles Killebrew. He’s got a significant knee injury. I’ll have more updates for you in the not-too-distant future about the details of that.”
Tomlin confirmed veteran safety and special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffered a severe injury, hurting his right knee while covering a kickoff. He was quickly ruled out with the injury. A stint to injured reserve seems likely, and his season could be over, though official word won’t come until later in the week.
While Killebrew had the most notable injury, it wasn’t the only one. CB Darius Slay left with a shoulder injury. He was in and out of the game the rest of the way. So were CB Joey Porter Jr. and S Jabrill Peppers with potential head/neck injuries, though Tomlin didn’t comment specifically on anyone but Killebrew post-game. CB James Pierre also briefly had his shoulder checked out but finished. During the broadcast, sideline reporter Evan Washburn noted T.J. Watt briefly had his leg checked out, but he finished the game, and the team never announced an injury or designation.
Pittsburgh entered the game healthy. The only Steeler who did not dress due to injury was WR Calvin Austin III after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4. CB Jalen Ramsey was upgraded from questionable to “expected to play” over the weekend and finished Sunday with two of the defense’s six sacks. Post-game, Tomlin praised his performance.
The Steelers have a quick turnaround to get healthy. Pittsburgh will fly to Cincinnati on Wednesday to take on the Bengals Thursday night, kicking off Week 7’s slate of action. Pittsburgh’s injury reports will be released sooner than usual, though the team could produce an estimated injury report if the Steelers don’t hold a formal practice on Monday.
