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The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t just beat up by the New England Patriots on the scoreboard to the tune of 33-3, they were also left pretty beat up in regards to injuries.
Pittsburgh suffered several injuries from at key positions heading into Week 2. Some of those injured were T.J. Watt (hip), Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) and Joe Haden (shoulder). As for Haden, Ian Rapoport reported he suffered a sprained AC joint.
#Steelers CB Joe Haden, who went down with a shoulder injury in the loss to the #Patriots, has a sprained AC joint, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2019
During the game Haden left for a period, but was able to return to the game and finished with no ill effects in his play. Dr. David Chao, who used to be the former head team doctor of the San Diego Chargers, shines some light on what the injury might mean for Haden this week, and his availability in the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2:
Expect #JoeHaden to miss some (or be limited) in practice this week but be ready to play next week vs @Seahawks.
— David J. Chao (@ProFootballDoc) September 9, 2019
(Who says I don't give free content anymore? Just using the new https://t.co/mVHhAhQEkP to give better next level info where 280 characters are not enough.) https://t.co/CwM8Xhyv2V
Hopefully Chao’s rough diagnosis will come to fruition and the Steelers don’t have to lean on Artie Burns to anchor one half of the field opposite Steven Nelson.
As for Pouncey, Ed Bouchette of The Athletic reported his teammates said it was a minor injury, and he should be fine.
Talking to Steelers players just now and they believe Maurkice Pouncey should be fine, that he was upbeat about his anke today that was injured Sunday night
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) September 9, 2019
A recent report from ProFootballTalk shows JuJu Smith-Schuster, who left the game with a toe injury, had all X-Rays come back negative, a positive sign for his short-term availability.
X-rays on JuJu Smith-Schuster’s toe came back negative https://t.co/6qF0EcGVsN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 9, 2019
Of course these are all reports and speculation, but on the surface it is good news for the Steelers heading into Week 2, from an injury standpoint. Mike Tomlin will address these, and any other injuries, during his Tuesday press conference at noon.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they prepare for the Seahawks in Week 2 at Heinz Field.