As if the loss to the Colts didn’t sting enough for the Steelers, Cam Heyward, a defensive captain, suffered a possible concussion.
The Steelers confirmed that Heyward was in concussion protocol Saturday night, shortly after losing to the Colts, 30-13. It’s unclear when he suffered the head injury. He made five tackles during the game. Pittsburgh didn’t reveal his injury during the game. And coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mention Heyward in his post-game press conference. He may not have experienced symptoms until after the game was over.
The Steelers next game is Dec. 23, another Saturday date. It remains to be seen whether Heyward can clear concussion protocol in time to play against the Bengals. Linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith each suffered concussions against the Patriots, Dec. 7. That was a Thursday game. Both cleared protocol. It took six days for Watt and a week for Highsmith. The Steelers also had the luxury of nine days between those games. It’ll be a normal NFL turnaround for the Bengals.
Isaiah Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal are Heyward’s backups. Loudermilk was inactive for Saturday’s game.
Injuries, ejection decimated Steelers defense
Other injuries impacted the Steelers defense and played a part in how the Colts finished the game on a 30-0 scoring run. Starting safety Minkah Fitzpatrick left the game in the second quarter and didn’t return. He injured his knee. Then Trenton Thompson, his backup, got hurt. Toss in the ejection of Damontae Kazee, and by game’s end, Pittsburgh had only two safeties who could play. Cornerback Patrick Peterson shifted to safety after Thompson’s injury.
The Steelers performance against the Colts could best be described as a mess. Their playoff hopes dimmed significantly as both the Bengals and Indianapolis surged ahead of them in the wildcard race. The offense, after a quick start, stalled. Coach Mike Tomlin even benched Mitch Trubisky. who filled in for Kenny Pickett. in favor of Mason Rudolph. In post-game, Tomlin declined to say whether he’d start Trubisky or Rudolph against the Bengals. Rudolph hadn’t thrown a pass in a regular-season game in two years.
Meanwhile, backup running backs for the Colts wore out the Steelers run defense.
Pittsburgh jumped to a 13-0 lead, then didn’t score again. A second-half Colts drive decimated the Steelers D. Indianapolis used 15 plays and almost nine minutes off the clock to drive 70 yards for a field goal. The most troubling stat — the Colts ran the ball on 13 of the 15 plays.
“Let’s be honest, we’re a fundamentally poor football group right now,” Tomlin said after the game. “We are playing losing football, and I take responsibility for that.”
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