The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a brutal stretch of three games in 11 days, starting off with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Pittsburgh will then travel to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, and then host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day in Week 17. A shortened amount of time in between games means less time for players to recover. Star receiver George Pickens has already made news about potentially missing multiple games as an MRI showed Pickens' hamstring injury was worse than expected.
Steelers safety DeShon Elliott surprisingly popped up on Wednesday's injury report with a hamstring injury, and for two straight days, Elliott was listed as a non-participant. Elliott's injury is a concern as it's yet another hamstring setback, and he has been one of the best players on defense for the Steelers this season. He was seen early on in practice doing some light jogging on the side, but unfortunately, that's about all and Elliott's status for Sunday against the Eagles doesn't look good. Minkah Fitzpatrick spoke about Elliott's absence after practice on Friday.
The safety has 96 total tackles this season and two forced fumbles. Elliott is everywhere on the field and makes many big plays. He also is second in leading the team in tackles, just behind Patrick Queen who has 98 total tackles. Elliott was drafted by the Ravens and played with them for a few seasons before a season each with the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. The Steelers picked up Elliott in the offseason, signing him to a two-year deal and he's played some of his best football yet in the NFL.
"It's next man up," Fitzpatrick said. "We predicate ourselves as a defense. That pride themselves on smashing the run."
Head Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday during his press conference that Elliott's hamstring injury arose from the Week 14 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Elliott plays a huge factor in both the running and passing game. His presence will definitely be needed Sunday against the Eagles as Saquon Barkley has made it hard for opposing defenses to stop him. Barkley has the most rushing yards in the NFL with 1,623 yards. Behind Barkley is Derrick Henry who has 1,407 yards. The Steelers have already faced Henry in Week 11 and held him to 65 rushing yards, his second-lowest of the season.
Pittsburgh's defensive unit has shown they can stop league leading running backs and it'll be hurt a bit if Elliott ends up ruled out. Damontae Kazee and Cameron Sutton will need to step in Elliott's absence.
Steelers' Defense Can Be Getting Another Key Player Back
Defensive tackle Montravius Adams went down with a knee injury after Week 7's game against the New York Jets. Adams was placed on injured reserve shortly after and hasn't played since. However, for the past two weeks Adams has been making huge progress as he's logged four straight full participations in practice. Adams hasn't been activated off IR yet, but there is hope he will be back very soon as he was also seen at Friday's practice doing drills.
The Steelers will need as many healthy players they can get as they can clinch the playoffs this weekend and win the division next week if they come out victorious against the Ravens. It's tough to see key players potentially out for a few games, but Steeler Nation will hope to see them back strong and healthy in the playoffs.
