The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t get a boost from defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk for their AFC wild card matchup against the Houston Texans after all.
The Steelers announced Sunday morning they have ruled out Loudermilk for the playoff showdown. The Texans will visit Pittsburgh on Monday, January 12.
Kickoff will take place at 8:15 pm ET on ESPN.
Loudermilk returned to practice Friday when the team opened his 21-day practice window. The Steelers must activate the defensive tackle to their roster by January 30 or he will spend the rest of the season on injured reserve.
Of course, by then, only the Super Bowl will remain on the NFL schedule.
Despite remaining on IR for Monday’s game, Loudermilk will have an opportunity to play in the divisional round if the Steelers advance.
The veteran defensive tackle started the first two games of the regular season for the Steelers. He landed on injured reserve after Week 2 because of an ankle injury.
Steelers Rule Out Isaiahh Loudermilk for Playoff Game
It’s not super shocking Loudermilk is going to need a little more time to play in a game. Before Friday, the defensive tackle hadn’t been on the field since September 14.
The Steelers placed Loudermilk on IR a few days after Week 2.
While he didn’t play a lot of snaps in the first two games this season, losing Loudermilk hurt Pittsburgh’s defensive line depth this season. That was especially the case at the time of his injury, as rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was also dealing with an injury.
Loudermilk has spent five seasons with the Steelers since the team drafted him at No. 156 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Week 1 this year was his first start since the 2022 campaign.
In 60 NFL games, Loudermilk has posted 63 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss. He also has one quarterback hit and six pass defenses.
This season, he played 37 defensive snaps and 11 snaps on special teams.
Steelers Injury Report for AFC Wild Card Matchup
While Loudermilk not returning dampens Pittsburgh’s injury situation a little bit, it’s all good news on the injury front with everyone else.
No other Steelers player has an injury designation entering the wild card matchup.
Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, Jonnu Smith, Ben Skowronek and Christian Kuntz were all on the injury report this week with lingering ailments. But all five players practiced fully Saturday and will dress.
The Steelers added Smith to the injury report Friday because of a glute issue, but it won’t impact his ability to play.
Running back Jaylen Warren dealt with an illness early in the week. But he also fully practiced Saturday and appears ready to go.
Finally, veterans Cameron Heyward and Isaac Seumalo were on the injury report this week but for rest. Neither player has an injury designation for Monday.
Against the Texans, the Steelers will be trying to end a six-game losing streak in the postseason. Pittsburgh last won a playoff game in January 2017.
The Steelers are 0-2 at home in the playoffs since that time. However, the Steelers have won 23 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football.
Pittsburgh holds a 5-3 all-time record against the Texans.
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