Getty Sidney Jones suffered a chest injury against the Steelers.
The Seattle Seahawks faced off with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 17, with the goal of bouncing back and reaching 3-3 on the season. However, a hard hit knocked starting cornerback Sidney Jones from the game midway through the third quarter.
The hit occurred when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a pass to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Marquise Blair knocked the receiver into Jones, who spun and dragged him to the ground. However, the fifth-year cornerback remained facedown on the field, bringing the game to a halt and sending the training staff to his side.
The NBC broadcast went to commercial, but media members at the stadium reported that Jones was able to leave the field under his own power. He headed to the sideline and spent several minutes talking to the athletic trainers. According to Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Jones remained questionable to return with a chest injury.
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A Rookie Cornerback Replaced Jones After His Injury
With Jones out of the game, the Seahawks turned to rookie cornerback Tre Brown. He had missed the first five games of the season while on Injured Reserve with a knee injury, but the team activated him prior to the trip to Pittsburgh.
Jones entered the game in the third quarter and lined up at the left cornerback spot. He made two big plays that helped limit the Steelers to a field goal. He forced a wide receiver off of his route, resulting in an incompletion. He also jumped a screen route where Chase Claypool blocked him in the back.
Head coach Pete Carroll said during his October 13 availability that he told Brown to “pick up where you left off and show us that you’ve got your stuff together.” He also acknowledged that Brown was on the verge of competing for playing time before he suffered the knee injury.
An Offensive Lineman Joined Jones on the Injury List
The veteran cornerback was not the only player to leave the game against the Steelers. The Seahawks also lost a key member of the offensive line due to injury and put extra pressure on the surrounding players, as well as the primary backup.
The team announced near the end of the third quarter that guard Damien Lewis had suffered a shoulder injury. Like Jones, he was initially questionable to return, so the Seahawks turned to backup Jamarco Jones to step in and face off with a talented defensive line.
The offense continued to move down the field during a resurgent third quarter as both Alex Collins and Travis Homer made big plays. Jones actually played a major role on a 26-yard run by Homer as he crossed over to the right side of the formation and knocked TJ Watt to the ground. Though analyst Cris Collinsworth pointed out that he technically committed a penalty by lowering his helmet and making head-to-head contact. The referees did not call Jones for the infraction, and the Seahawks went on to kick a game-tying field goal.
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