On a day with few positives, the Steelers are heading into the bye week relatively healthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers were out-matched in every possible way vs. the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, but if there was a glimmer of positivity to come out of the game it was the injury report, or lack thereof.

After the 35-13 loss to their cross-state rivals, Mike Tomlin said there was only one injury of note after the game. The lone noted injury was to cornerback James Pierre, with his injury being labeled as a foot injury.

Pierre will have an extended time period to get healthy with the Steelers heading into their Week 9 bye, but any significant loss of time to the cornerback could be missing one of the few bright spots currently in the team’s secondary.

It was Pierre who stepped up in the team’s second win vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, and it was Pierre who replaced Ahkello Witherspoon near the midway point of the game with Witherspoon giving up several touchdowns to Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. With no practice this week, fans will have to wait until the leadup to Week 10 with the New Orleans Saints game before they get any update on Pierre’s status.

Outside of Pierre, the Steelers should have help on the way for the game vs. the Saints in the way of Damontae Kazee and T.J. Watt expected to return off Injured Reserve (IR) to help bolster a defense which needs the help. With Kazee in the lineup it adds another weapon for the secondary, and adding the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year will be more than notable for a team desperately needing “splash”.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Saints in Week 10 after their bye week.