Steelers Get Good Michael Pittman Jr. News

Positive Signs for Pittman Jr. and Steelers

In his weekly press conference on September 21, which came a day after the Steelers' 20-3 blowout loss to New England, McCarthy stated that he didn't have a strong idea of whether or not Pittman Jr. would ultimately be available this week.

"He's in the evaluation group for Wednesday morning and hopefully we have a good plan for him," McCarthy said. "I don't have a feel one way or the other if he's going to be available this week."

McCarthy also made it clear that this injury is different than the one he suffered during training camp in early August.

There's several days to go before injury designations have to be doled out ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 3 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, though it certainly appears Pittman Jr. is making some progress.

Steelers Need Pittman Jr. vs. Bengals

Pittsburgh's offense wasn't in tip-top shape during its Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, though the unit's performance in that contest was night-and-day with how it looked against the Patriots.

Without Pittman Jr. on the field, Aaron Rodgers threw for just 144 yards while being under constant duress amidst another off-day for the Steelers' offensive line.

Pittman Jr. led the team in receiving yards against the Falcons with 58 on three receptions. Given how mightily DK Metcalf has struggled in the early goings of the season up to this point, particularly with drops, Pittman Jr. has become all the more important for Pittsburgh.

He's not explosive, nor is he much of a big-play threat at this stage of his career, but Pittman Jr.'s reliable hands combined with his physicality, size and blocking prowess make him an indispensable part of the Steelers' offense.

Against a Bengals defense that looks as sharp as it has in years through two games, potentially having Pittman Jr. out there could make all the difference in the world for Pittsburgh.