The Steelers enter tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals without two key players on their special teams unit.
Special teams captain Miles Killebrew and receiver/returner Calvin Austin III will be unavailable tonight for a key AFC North game.
Killebrew suffered a “significant” knee injury last week against the Cleveland Browns and was placed on the reserve/injured list earlier today. Austin injured his shoulder against the Minnesota Vikings and misses his second straight game.
The Bengals will be without starting defensive end Trey Hendrickson and starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.
With Killebrew out, it will take a multitude of players to take his place, including a mix of veterans and young players.
“As we talk about other guys doing it, it’s by committee,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “A lot of guys need to step up. (Ben) Skowronek, Connor (Heyward), Carson Bruener, Jack Sawyer, James Pierre.
“It’s just a few, but I feel like they all play a vital role, and we need them all to continue playing at high levels.”
One player who will be available tonight is cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Last week, Ramsey played through a hamstring injury against the Vikings and missed several days of practice.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers praised Ramsey for his preparation before the game, something that resonated in the locker room.
“Without a doubt, and especially through the lens that Aaron sees it through. He’s been in this league for over 20 years and he knows what’s special, to be completely honest with you,” coach Mike Tomlin said of Rodgers’ comments during an interview with Bob Labriola for steelers.com and the Steelers pregame radio show. “And like I often say, ‘It’s not about what you’re capable of. It’s about what you’re willing to do,’ and what Jalen showed him and his teammates was just that.
“It was a show of will, a guy doing everything in his power to show up for his teammates and respect that part of the team, and I’m sure he wasn’t 100 percent. And in today’s game, there’s so much judgment that goes into what these guys do. A lot of times, guys don’t have enough courage to do that, to play in less than ideal circumstances, because they’re potentially not playing well. And he did. didn’t let all this slow him down.
“He wanted to be out there for and with his teammates, and those of us who have been around this game for a long time really appreciate that.”
Safety DeShon Elliott was reclassified Thursday from questionable to no designation. Elliott is expected to play tonight. Elliott did not make the trip to Cincinnati with the team on Wednesday due to personal reasons, but arrived in Cincinnati on Thursday.
The full list of inactives can be found below.
