Report: Injury to Steelers LB Alex Highsmith not believed to be serious

Things don’t look great for Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith.

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According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the quad injury suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings is not believed to be major. Rapoport called the injury a contusion which is the best possible outcome.

Pittsburgh lost both starting outside linebackers on Thursday as T.J. Watt went down first with a groin injury. The Steelers defense was forced to play most of the game with Taco Charlton and Derrek Tuszka as the primary pass rushers. Less than ideal.

Despite a late rally by Pittsburgh, the Steelers lost to the Vikings 36-28. These injuries contributed to the league-leading best pass-rushing unit failed to register a sack of Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins.

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Steelers vs Vikings: Big takeaways from the heartbreaking loss

People need to appreciate Ben Roethlisberger while he’s still around.

It seems that every week the Pittsburgh Steelers start slow, finish fast and it’s a crapshoot how the game turns out. Thursday night’s game with the Minnesota Vikings was a perfect example. Pittsburgh spotted the Vikings a 29-0 lead before charging back, only to come up short 36-28. Here are our big takeaways from the loss.

Steelers WR Chase Claypool on his late mishap: ‘The ball shouldn’t get knocked out of my hands’

Who is to blame for what went wrong on Thursday night?

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The end of Thursday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings was a frenetic mix of action that included a mishap that cost the Steelers several seconds at the end of the game as the Steelers were trying to drive down for the potential game-tying score.

The player at the center of the fiasco was wide receiver Chase Claypool. After the game, Claypool spoke to the media and in a not-so-subtle manner opted to throw teammate Trai Turner under the bus for the mistake.

“I got tackled near the hash,” Claypool said. “Did my little first down point. Went to hand the ball to the ref. He just got there. The ball got knocked out of my hands. That’s what cost us time. But I definitely do have to be better.”

According to Claypool, opting to pose rather than run the football to the official isn’t the issue. It was Turner coming to get the football from when he failed to do it that was the problem. He even threw a little tantrum after the Steelers finally clocked the ball at Turner to indicate his displeasure.

But I want to pass the question off to you. Let us know in the comments below what you thought of Claypool’s comments and the whole event. Does it even matter in the big picture or is this a problem?

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Late game theatrics show Steelers WR Chase Claypool doesn’t get it

Chase Claypool’s actions at the end of the game showed a lack of awareness and emotion.

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In the first quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night loss to the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Mike Tomlin was forced to bench wide receiver Chase Claypool. Tomlin did it because Claypool drew a ridiculous personal foul as he continues to be the most penalized wide receiver in the NFL.

Tomlin did it in hopes Claypool would get the message about what is acceptable and what isn’t. And for a time it looked like he got through to him. During the Steelers late-game rally, Claypool made a couple of truly impressive catches.

But then this happend. With less than 40 seconds to play and with no timeouts, Claypool catches a slant for a first down. But rather than hustle the football to the line of scrimmage so Pittsburgh could clock it, Claypool struck a pose.

Yep, he had to take several second to do his first-down pose while down on one knee. Guard Trai Turner rushed over to get the ball, it fell to the ground and wasted even more time. Then, after the Steelers finally clock the ball, you see Claypool visibly upset with Turner.

Claypool’s lack of awareness of the game situation is mind-blowing. The amount of time wasted with his theatrics cost the Steelers at least one play and even though we have no idea if it would have changed the outcome, there’s no denying how bad this looked for Claypool in a season where he has underperformed.

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the line of scrimmage: ‘We’re getting handled up front’

Mike Tomlin is obviously not happy with how his offensive and defensive lines played.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was visibly upset in the postgame press conference after the Minnesota Vikings loss on Thursday night. And rightfully so. Both sides of the football laid down for two and a half quarters before finally deciding to turn it on and attempt to rally against the Vikings.

But Tomlin was very specific on where his venom was directed. The line of scrimmage on both sides of the football.

“We’re getting handled up front on both sides of the ball,” Tomlin said. Unfortunately, this isn’t a new problem. Injuries have been the main culprit in why the offensive and defensive lines have struggled so much this season but whoever is on that field is a professional and Tomlin didn’t excuse guys not doing very basic, fundamental things just because they are backups.

Tomlin hinted that he is willing to use the extra time before the next game to shuffle some guys around but the well is dry. Pittsburgh isn’t likely to go out on the free-agent market and we can’t act like there are any Pro Bowlers out there. It’s going to be more about whichever guys are out there must do a better job in doing their jobs.

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Comeback comes up just short as Steelers fall to Vikings

The Steelers tried to come back after a horrible start.

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Despite a remarkable second-half rally, the Pittsburgh Steelers comeback falls just short as they lose 36-28 to the Minnesota Vikings. Pittsburgh trailed 29-0 midway through the third quarter before turning in on and outscoring the Vikings 28-7 in the last quarter and a half.

It looked like the Steelers were doomed for much of the game. Both sides of the football came out looking flat and exhausted in the first half and the Vikings literally ran all over them. But true to form the Steelers didn’t go down without a fight.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw three second-half touchdowns and finished with 308 yards passing. Running back Najee Harris rushed for 94 yards and had 104 yards of total offense. These numbers are made more remarkable when you consider the Steelers have 66 total yards of offense in the first half. The Steelers had a chance on the final play to get a touchdown which with a two-point try would have tied it in regulation. But it just wasn’t meant to be.

Pittsburgh should be proud of the effort late but embarrassed by why it had to happen that way. The Steelers now get a couple of extra days of rest before they welcome the Tennessee Titans to town on December 19.

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Steelers LB Alex Highsmith OUT with knee injury

The Steelers lose another defensive player.

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The hits keep coming for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The team first announced that outside linebacker T.J. Watt was out with a groin injury. Now the other starting outside linebacker, Alex Highsmith, has been declared out with a knee injury of his own.

Pittsburgh’s defense has been abysmal all game, even when Watt and Highsmith were on the field. The Steelers trail the Vikings 29-0 late in the third quarter with no end in sight.

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Steelers LB T.J. Watt questionable to return with groin injury

The Steelers defense takes another hit on Thursday.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced outside linebacker T.J. Watt has suffered a groin injury and is questionable to return. The Steelers currently trail the Minnesota Vikings 23-0 approaching halftime.

With as poorly as the team is playing on both sides of the football, there’s really no point in putting Watt back on the field and risking further injury. The Steelers are clearly showing signs of fatigue from last week’s emotional win over the Baltimore Ravens.

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Steelers vs Vikings inactives: Joe Haden headlines Pittsburgh inactives

Here are the inactives for the Steelers and Vikings this week.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced the inactives for Thursday’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. The big name on it is starting cornerback Joe Haden who continues to deal with a foot injury.

The Steelers are also minus linebacker Robert Spillane who came off the COVID list this week but still has a knee injury. Here is the full list of inactives: Defensive tackle Carlos Davis and running back Anthony McFarland Jr. are both healthy scratches.

QB Dwayne Haskins

CB Joe Haden

RB Anthony McFarland

LB Robert Spillane

OL B.J. Finney

DT Carlos Davis

DT Isaiah Buggs

With Finney out, John Leglue should get the start at left guard replacing Kevin Dotson.

For the Vikings, here are their full list of inactives which includes starting wide receiver Adam Thielen and starting offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw.

QB Kellen Mond
WR Adam Thielen
CB Harrison Hand
LB Chazz Surratt
LB Blake Lynch
T Christian Darrisaw
DE Tashawn Bower

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Steelers vs Vikings: Minnesota RB Dalvin Cook to play with shoulder harness

Dalvin Cook expects to play despite a shoulder injury.

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According to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook plans to play Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dalvin is dealing with a shoulder injury but is expected to wear a harness to protect the injury and allow him to go full speed.

If Cook plays, the Vikings will have two very good backs, along with Alexander Mattison to throw at a struggling Steelers run defense. Minnesota will be without starting offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw and are being forced to shuffle positions along the offensive line to accommodate that.

The Steelers run defense stiffened last week after getting gashed against the run in the previous three.

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