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Maybe the only good news following the Steelers 31-19 opening week loss to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos is that there didn't appear to be any significant injuries, at least as of right now.
Right tackle Marcus Gilbert left the game in the first half with an unspecified knee injury and did not play the rest of the game. After being escorted off the field, Gilbert could be seen sitting on the bench in full uniform. This is just speculation, but if it were an injury of a more serious nature, he probably would have been taken into the locker room immediately.
Gilbert was replaced at right tackle by rookie Mike Adams. Adams didn't appear to struggle noticeably, but it's certainly no secret that it wasn't a great night all the way around for the Steelers offensive line.
Right guard Ramon Foster also left the game in the first half and didn't return after suffering an eye injury. Foster was replaced by Doug Legursky, leaving the Steelers completely out of back-up linemen for the rest of the night. Had another serious injury occurred up front, Heath Miller would have had to fill in somewhere, and I'm sure that's something the team was desperately trying to avoid.
The only other in-game injury that may be worth keeping an eye was the helmet-to-helmet hit suffered by receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the third quarter. Sanders was shaken up but did continue to play. However, with the league's new emphasis on head injuries, don't be surprised if Sanders is held out of practice this week and even the game against the Jets next Sunday.
Some post training camp injury news:
After being on the PUP list for most of training camp while recovering from offseason wrist surgery, outside linebacker Jason Worilds saw his first action last night and recorded three tackles and a sack of Manning on the game's first possession.
Nose tackle Casey Hampton also participated in last night's game, and even though he wasn't the dominant Hampton of years gone by, it was still a pretty good sign to see him back out there after having offseason ACL surgery.
Starting outside linebacker James Harrison, who missed all of training camp with a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery in mid-August, did not dress for last night's game. Neither did running back Rashard Mendenhall, who is still recovering from offseason ACL surgery. Mendenhall actually did practice last week and by some accounts looked "outstanding." However, with above average depth at the running back position, there is no real need to rush number 34 back at this point.
Finally, Ryan Clark was held out of last night's game as a precaution. Clark, who carries the sickle cell trait, hasn't played a game in Denver since the 2007 season, when, during a game in Denver, he suffered near fatal health problems that were believed to have been brought on by playing in city's rarefied air. Ryan Mundy started in Clark's absence and recorded two solo tackles and a passed defensed. Not great, but adequate. Pretty much what you'd expect from a backup of Mundy's abilities.
To summarize, the Steelers appeared to get out of their week one loss without any significant injuries. However, coach Mike Tomlin will provide more injury updates during tomorrow's weekly press conference, and that will give us a clearer picture as the week progresses.