Steelers Injury Report: Day 1 of Patriots prep has good news for Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially started their preparation for the New England Patriots on Wednesday, and with the biggest game of the year on deck, everyone and everything seems amplified — including the injury report.

The Steelers received some good news on Wednesday with Joe Haden (fibula) and Tyler Matakevich (shoulder) returning to practice, albeit on a limited basis. For both players, how they proceed and participate on Thursday and Friday will be the true indicator of whether these two players will be available vs. the Patriots on Sunday.

If Joe Haden is unable to play, the team could be leaning on rookie Cameron Sutton at cornerback since Coty Sensabaugh sat out of practice on Thursday with a shoulder injury. In addition to Sensabaugh sitting out with a shoulder injury, Vance McDonald also hurt his shoulder after sitting out the previous three weeks with an ankle injury. McDonld had just returned for the Week-14 game against the Ravens, but he didn’t even make it through the entire game.

Stephon Tuitt missed practice with an illness, and Martavis Bryant, who has never played against the Patriots, also missed with a Not-Injury-Related designation, but reports are stating he had a personal/family situation which the team was aware of.

Besides those players, the Steelers have a clean bill of health heading into Week 15. Check the complete injury report below for both teams, and be sure to check back with BTSC for the latest updated injury reports heading into this gigantic game on Sunday.

Injury Report

Pittsburgh

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WR Martavis Bryant (Not Injury Related)
CB Coty Sensabaugh (Shoulder)
TE Vance McDonald (Shoulder)
DE Stephon Tuitt (Illness)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
CB Joe Haden (Fibula)
LB Tyler Matakevich (Shoulder)

New England

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
CB Malcolm Butler (Ankle)
DL Trey Flowers (Rib)
CB Stephon Gilmore (Ankle)
LB David Harris (Ankle)
WR Chris Hogan (Shoulder)
DB Brandon King (Hamstring)
DL Eric Lee (Ankle)
WR Matthew Slater (Hamstring)
LB Kyle Van Noy (Calf)
OT LaAdrian Waddle (Ankle)
DL Deatrich Wise Jr. (Foot)

FULL PARTICIPATION
QB Tom Brady (Achilles)
WR Brandin Cooks (Hand)