Steelers Pro Bowler Carted Off Field With Injury

How the Injury Occurred

On a Browns kickoff return after Chris Boswell made his third field goal of the game to give Pittsburgh a 9-0 lead, Killebrew went down to the ground and was seen clutching the area around his right knee as trainers arrived by his side.

Steelers players began gathering around KIllebrew shortly after, and the entire bench eventually circled around him as he further evaluated.

A trainer and fellow safety Jabrill Peppers then helped carry Killebrew off the field, who was not putting any weight on his right leg as he exited and made his way to the blue medical tent before being carted to the locker room.

The CBS broadcast of the game later showed that the injury appeared to occur as Killebrew planted his right leg rather hard on the playing surface while making his way down the field.

Impact of Killebrew's Injury

The Steelers quickly revealed that Killebrew did in fact sustain a knee injury and will miss the rest of the game.

As Pittsburgh's special teams captain, losing Killebrew is a major blow for the team. He's a leader both on and off the field, and someone simply stepping up in his absence is easier said than done.

Killebrew has been a Pro Bowler each of the past two seasons for the Steelers, showcasing just how integral he is to the team's annual success on special teams as well as how respected he is for his efforts on that side of the ball across the NFL.

The 32-year-old logged 319 and 303 snaps on special teams during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, respectively, and was also a first-team All-Pro in the former of those two years.

Coming into today, Killebrew had been on the field for 73 special teams reps this season, which amounts to 72 percent of the available snaps according to Pro Football Reference.

Pittsburgh has a number of players it can call on to take an enhanced role on special teams moving forward, such as Peppers, and there are several candidates residing on the practice squad who could be added to the active roster as Killebrew's replacement should he miss an extended period of time.

It's an awful development for the Steelers and Killebrew personally, and the diagnosis for his injury remains to be seen.