On Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0) remained undefeated by virtue of a hard-fought 28-24 win over the rival Baltimore Ravens (5-2). Both teams had players fall victim to injuries, but the Ravens have had the worst of the injury/illness news.
After the game on Sunday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh revealed that left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffered a “severe” season-ending ankle injury.
Then on Monday morning, Ravens starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey tweeted out a message indicating that he has COVID-19, news of great concern to players, coaches, and personnel in both Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
I got the Rona hopefully I’ll be back healthy soon
Baltimore has since announced that its organization is in the NFL’s “intensive COVID-19 protocol,” which includes contact tracing.
Pittsburgh went on to report that no members of its organization have tested positive, but that the Steelers will follow the NFL’s protocols and take precautionary measures.
Statement from #Steelers Spokesman Burt Lauten:
Cameron Heyward Injury Update
Meanwhile, early reports indicate that the Steelers have received relatively good news in regards to injuries suffered during the game against the Ravens.
First and foremost, in his postgame press conference on Sunday, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger indicated his in-game elbow issue was just a “funny bone” and that “he’s good.”
Then on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network/NFL.com indicated that Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward has a “minor quad injury” that is “nothing serious.”
#Steelers DL Cam Heyward, who limped off the field yesterday afternoon, is dealing with a minor quad injury, source said. Nothing serious.
Heyward went down on two different occasions vs. Baltimore, the first time with a cramp, as per Brooke Pryor of ESPN, the second time on the third-to-last play of the game.
Mike Tomlin says the first time Cam Heyward went down was a cramp, Tomlin says he doesn’t know the details of the second injury.
Tyson Alualu Injury Update
As for the initial diagnosis on Tyson Alualu, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the veteran defensive lineman has a sprained MCL, pending confirmation via MRI.
Initial diagnosis for Steelers DL Tyson Alualu is a sprained MCL, per source. Waiting for MRI to confirm. Could miss some time but not considered major.
Alualu was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s game and did not return after being cut blocked. He has been having a stellar season for the Steelers, including being named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week for Week 2 after Pittsburgh’s 26-21 win over the Denver Broncos.
If Alualu misses games, second-year man Isaiah Buggs and first-year man Henry Mondeaux would be the most likely candidates to take his share of the snaps. After a slow start on Sunday, Buggs came on strong and finished with three tackles and two assists.
The Steelers also have rookie seventh-round pick Carlos Davis on the practice squad and could consider poaching a nose tackle from another team, like Daniel McCullers, who terminated his contract with the Steelers earlier this season and now resides on Chicago’s practice squad.
The Steelers also have defensive end Calvin Taylor on the practice squad. Former Ravens DL Chris Wormley isn’t an option at the moment as he was placed on Pittsburgh’s injured reserve list on Saturday with a knee injury and will miss at least two more games.
Pittsburgh is scheduled to play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Sunday at 4:25 ET. The team can set a new franchise record for best start to a season (8-0) with a win in Dallas.
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Steelers Get Initial Diagnoses on Cam Heyward, Tyson Alualu Injuries