Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Star Surprisingly Added To Injury Report Ahead Of Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very weird season so far. While the offense has been up and down, it has been the defense led by TJ Watt that has kept the team afloat. As the team prepares for its week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Watt surprisingly showed up on the injury report.

Watt did not practice Thursday with what is listed as a heel injury. This is coming off of Wednesday’s practice where he fully participated. It is unclear whether he suffered this injury during a game or whether it happened during the practice the prior day. With rookie Nick Herbig also dealing with a groin injury, the Steelers could be down two outside linebackers on Sunday. This isn’t ideal for a team that is being carried by the defense right now while the offense goes through growing pains.

A heel injury is no joke. While I am not a doctor, heel injuries are often linked to the Achilles tendon which is a devastating injury. If Watt is dealing with a sore Achilles, the Steelers will want to be very cautious. Watt has been a monster this season racking up multiple sacks per game and being a thorn in the side of opposing offenses. If Watt misses some time, this defense definitely becomes less menacing. This is something to monitor as the week goes on. If it continues to linger, fans might start to worry.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are very much in the AFC North race despite the slow offensive start. If the offense can get to the level of the defense, this could be a very scary team come playoff time.

READ MORE

This week’s “Friday Football Footnotes” takes a look at the prospect of Aaron Donald ever playing in Pittsburgh again.

Steelers fans are hoping to witness a first in Los Angeles.

Plus, we check out the rest of the landscape in local college action and the AFC North.

Los Angeles Rams star defensive lineman Aaron Donald is quelling any conversation about a potential return to Pittsburgh.

Because of the way his latest contract is structured, there had been a belief by some that the Penn Hills native may have been leaving a path open for a return to his hometown. After all, he still has family here and often trains at the Pitt Panthers facility, which is adjacent to the Steelers offices on the South Side.

But, via ProFootballTalk.com, Donald tamped down that talk this week as the Rams prepare to host the Steelers on Saturday.

“Not really,” Donald said of the idea of ending his career in Pittsburgh. “I never thought of it. I never thought about it but no, no. … I still consider myself a Steelers fan, obviously, until we got to play them. I still look to see if they’re doing good. … So the whole family is still Steelers fans, but now more Rams fans.”

While the invasion of San Francisco 49ers fans at Acrisure Stadium was an underlying story to the Steelers’ 30-7 season-opening loss, the road fan base has been thick.

Steelers fans were dense in the stands at Las Vegas and Houston. The same is expected in Los Angeles on Sunday. According to Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast projection, the crowd is expected to be 54% Steelers fans.

The Steelers haven’t played the Rams in Los Angeles since 1993, a 27-0 loss. They won in St. Louis the last time they played a regular season road game against the franchise, a 12-6 victory in 2015.

The Black and Gold have never won a regular season game against the Rams in L.A., going 0-10 from 1947 to 1993. However, they did beat the Rams in Super Bowl XIV. That contest was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

While the Steelers are in Los Angeles at 4:05 p.m., two of the other three teams in the AFC North are in action for 1 p.m. starts.

The Baltimore Ravens (4-2) host Detroit (5-1). The Lions come in as three-point underdogs. The Cleveland Browns (3-2) are three-point favorites on the road in Indianapolis (3-3). Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to practice Thursday after missing Cleveland’s past two games with a shoulder injury. He was a limited participant.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is done for the year after electing to have shoulder surgery. Gardner Minshew will be the QB moving forward.

Heading into the weekend, No. 7 Penn State is a four-point underdog for its crucial Big Ten game in Columbus against No. 3 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are both 6-0, 3-0 in conference play. Kickoff is at noon Saturday. Ohio State won last year’s matchup 44-31.

As for Pitt, the Panthers (2-4) are a one-point underdog at Wake Forest. Pat Narduzzi’s team is 1-2 in the ACC. The Demon Deacons (3-3) are one of four teams in ACC play without a conference win. That’s a 3:30 p.m. start Saturday.

Meanwhile, West Virginia also plays at 3:30 p.m. in Morgantown. Oklahoma State is the opponent for a Big 12 game. The Mountaineers are 3.5-point favorites. Both teams are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference action. WVU is looking to bounce back from that painful Hail Mary loss to Houston on Oct. 12.