Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t sure where to start when analyzing his team’s 34-3 loss Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Drops? Penalties? Special teams blunders?
“You name it, we did it in that football game,” Tomlin said today during his weekly media conference at the Steelers’ South Side practice facility. “We took a significant step backward with how we performed in that football game.”
Looking ahead to a home game this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tomlin listed three players as “very questionable”: left guard Ramon Foster (chest), linebacker Ryan Shazier (knee) and slot receiver Eli Rogers (turf toe). Safety Robert Golden (hamstring) is still being evaluated.
Tomlin said linebacker Lawrence Timmons “punctured a wound” in his shin during Sunday’s game and needed to go to the hospital to have it fixed. He expects Timmons to be available this week.
Cornerback Sean Davis injured his back in the game and will be evaluated throughout the week. As a rookie, Tomlin said, Davis must practice before being able to participate on game day.
Two players, center Cody Wallace (knee) and fullback Roosevelt Nix (back), participated in practice last week and could be available to return to action Sunday against the Chiefs.
Ring the Bell
Tomlin plans to let “practice be our guide” in determining the workload running back Le’Veon Bell should shoulder Sunday in his first game back from a three-game suspension. Bell ran for 556 yards and made 24 receptions in six games last season before sustaining a knee injury.
Backup tailback DeAngelo Williams rushed for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the first three games this season, and added 14 receptions for 89 yards and a score.
Tomlin said Bell is “highly conditioned” and up to speed on the Steelers’ offensive schemes.
“Rest assured you’re going to see Le’Veon Bell and probably a lot of him on Sunday,” Tomlin said.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: September 27, 2016, 4:39 p.m.
