Steelers Injury Report: Beating the Bengals without major injuries is icing on the cake

What is better than beating the Cincinnati Bengals? Beating the Cincinnati Bengals and doing so without any major injuries. That is exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers did at Heinz Field in Week 7 when they beat Cincinnati 29-14.

After the game, Tomlin spoke to media about injuries of note, and the only player mentioned was Vance McDonald. McDonald left the game with a knee injury, and although his return was listed as probable, the team turned to Xavier Grimble for the remainder of the game.

The biggest injuries to look for as the team prepares for their Week 8 game against the Detroit Lions will be the two starting linemen who missed the Week 7 game due to injury.

Marcus Gilbert, who was surprisingly listed as ‘doubtful’ on Friday, while most thought he would be declared out, could possibly return to the lineup to help solidify the offensive line, and allow Chris Hubbard to be the primary backup at tackle, as well as the extra tight end in ‘heavy’ packages, to make the Steelers offense complete.

The other injury to watch this week is the back injury to Stephon Tuitt. Similar to when Gilbert is playing at tackle, when Tuitt is on the defensive line the unit isn’t just good, they are downright scary.

The Steelers will go on their bye week after the Lions game, so this could be a factor in the decision-making process for the coaching staff as they could look at a player like Gilbert and giving him the extra week to rest could be the difference between staying healthy down the stretch, or dealing with the nagging hamstring injury the remainder of the season.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest on these injuries, and other news, surrounding the Steelers heading into Week 8.