Steelers Injury Report: Shazier, Polamalu and Thomas among injured vs. Ravens

Wins like the Pittsburgh Steelers saw in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens don't come often, not in a rivalry like Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore. But this win came at a large cost in terms of injuries for the Steelers.

First-round draft pick and starting inside linebacker Ryan Shazier left the game with an ankle injury. Upon leaving the game, he was evaluated by the training staff and he eventually returned to the lineup briefly before leaving the game permanently. Sean Spence was the primary backup that finished the game while Shazier was out of the lineup.

If losing one defensive starter wasn't enough, Troy Polamalu was forced to leave the game at the end of the first half when he was landed on after making a tackle. Mike Tomlin declared Polamalu's injury to be a knee sprain in his post-game comments.

Depending on the severity of the sprain, Polamalu is likely to miss several weeks of action before being healthy enough to return to the lineup. With Polamalu injured, veteran safety Will Allen assumed the position alongside Mike Mitchell in the deep secondary.

Shamarko Thomas returned to the lineup from a hamstring injury, only to injure his other hamstring against the Ravens. His availability will depend on the severity of the injury, but there's a good chance Ross Ventrone could be available to return from a hamstring injury of his own to fill Thomas' spot on special teams.

The Steelers now have consecutive road games coming up at the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans before their bye-week. The health of this team will be a huge factor moving forward, and it seems their defense has been hit hardest by the injury bug.