The Pittsburgh Steelers’ (2-2) injury list continues to grow. Already without veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward and receiver Diontae Johnson for an extended period of time, Pittsburgh is now expected to be without tight end Pat Freiermuth for multiple weeks.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Freiermuth is expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the 30-6 Week 4 defeat to the Houston Texans (2-2) Sunday. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network added the hope is that Freiermuth returns to the lineup after Pittsburgh’s Week 6 bye.
Prior to his early exit in Sunday’s loss, Freiermuth had three receptions for seven yards. The third-year pass-catcher has been quiet through four games. Freiermuth has received just 13 targets, hauling in eight for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Pat Freiermuth becomes latest Steeler to go down with injury
The Steelers dodged another long-term bullet after quarterback Kenny Pickett left Sunday’s game with a knee injury. The injury occurred on a 4th-and-1 attempt with 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Pickett, trying to elude pressure from the Texans’ front, was eventually brought down by defensive end Jonathan Greenard. Greenard wrapped Pickett up and spun him to the ground for the sack. Pickett clutched his left knee after the play before medical personnel came out to the field to tend to him.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Monday an MRI revealed that Pickett did not suffer anything serious regarding the knee injury. The Steelers diagnosed Pickett with a bone bruise. The door remains open for him to play in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) this Sunday. Pickett completed 15-of-23 passes for 114 yards with no touchdowns and an interception before his exit. Mitch Trubisky finished the game for the Steelers.
The Steelers failed to build off their best offensive performance of the season in the 23-18 Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders (1-3), in which they put up a season-high 333 yards and averaged 5.6 yards a play. In the loss to the Texans, Pittsburgh accumulated 225 total yards of offense and averaged only 4.0 yards per play.
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