The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a wild and crazy 23-20 overtime win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, but the win hasn’t been the main talking point among the fan base since Chris Boswell nailed the 53-yard game-winning kick.
The topic of conversation was around the team’s sudden outbreak of injuries to major players, mainly Najee Harris (foot) and TJ Watt (chest).
On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin met with the media and spoke about these injuries, including players who were knocked down in the AFC North grudge match at Paycor Stadium last Sunday.
As you can imagine, Tomlin first spoke about his All-Pro linebacker, TJ Watt (pec). He said they feel the team is “in a much better place than right after the game” regarding Watt’s injury. He went on to stay. Watt is out this week, but won’t make any commitments for the rest of the season. Tomlin said he was encouraged but reminded listeners that the organization will do what is appropriate with the injury.
Tomlin then spoke about center Mason Cole (ankle). Cole was injured in the second half vs. the Bengals, but missed only a handful of games before he could return. Tomlin said the injured ankle could change the process for Cole this week but will be available this Sunday against New England.
Najee Harris with his foot/ankle injury was the next player to come up with at the press conference, and Tomlin said Harris is very optimistic. He kept saying it’s “good to be young” when he spoke of Harris’ feelings about playing this week. Tomlin continued on how Harris will be in position, but he will have to practice and prove his willingness. Tomlin went on to say that Harris is talented, but young, and that the injury should be considered from day to day.
Earlier on Tuesday, Harris went to Adam Schein’s Shin about sports shows SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio and talked about how he’s feeling and if he’s going to play this week.
“The plan is that I should be ready to play. I should practice again.” said Harris. “Today is our day off, so it’s good that we took today off to let it heal for another day and be ready to go this weekend.
“I’m back in training this week. And then I’ll play this weekend.”
All other injuries that occurred during Sunday’s game in Cincinnati were labeled bumps and bruises related to the game. This includes the injuries of players like Levi Wallace (ankle) and Robert Spillane (eye), who both left the game in Week 1 and were unable to return to action.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and comments on the Steelers as they prepare for the New England Patriots to invade Acrisure Stadium this Sunday for a kick-off at 1:00 p.m. ET.
For an overview of Mike Tomlin’s press conference on Tuesday, check out BTSC’s Press Conference Recap podcast below:
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