The Pittsburgh Steelers were very short on the defensive side of the ball in Week 2, as defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and safety DeShon Elliott did not suit up.
Harmon has been sidelined with a knee injury since coming down with the issue in the team's final preseason game. Elliott and Porter Jr. suffered knee and hamstring injuries, respectively, in Week 1 and did not play in Week 2.
During the latest version of Mike Tomlin Tuesday, the Steelers head coach revealed that all three players are "questionable at best" for the Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. That answer is a strong hint that none of the three will suit up this week.
Tomlin also ruled out two players already in outside linebacker Alex Highsmith and defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk, both of whom are dealing with high-ankle sprains. Highsmith is expected to avoid injured reserve, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
The expectation for Elliott was that he was going to miss multiple weeks with his knee injury, so no if he doesn't suit up this week.
Harmon was reportedly expected to ramp up last week in preparation for a Week 2 or 3 return, but he never got on the practice field so, again, not a total shock if he isn't on the field on Sunday.
The biggest mystery is Porter Jr., who Tomlin was "optimistic" about for Week 2. The fact that he appears unlikely to play this Sunday suggests his injury is worse than initially feared.
“Joey Porter wasn't able to finish the game with a hamstring," he said after the Week 1 win. "Optimistic about his availability, but I'll let the quality of his work and the amount of his work during the week be our guide there.”
The Steelers will be back on the practice field on Wednesday and will release their first injury report of the week after that. We'll know more about the statuses of Harmon, Porter Jr. and Elliott then, but assume they won't play this week.
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