Steelers' Mike Tomlin Gives An Uncertain And Worrisome Update About Joey Porter Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. The Steelers lost by a score of 34-17, and the loss evened the playing field atop the AFC North. The Steelers still lead the division since they have a better record within the AFC, but with both teams at 10-5, the division is truly up for grabs moving forward. Pittsburgh was banged up going into this game as they were missing three defensive starters, but things got worse early on.

The Steelers were already without Donte Jackson going into this contest, and Joey Porter Jr. went down early in the game as well. Pittsburgh was without its best two two corners for the majority of the game. 

Porter was deemed questionable throughout the rest of the game, and he tried to play to begin the second half, but was eventually ruled out. There was't much clarity on the injury to Porter; just that it was some kind of knee injury, with possible damage to his PCL. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Sunday and gave an update on Porter.

"The two guys that didn't finish yesterday's game, Joey Porter with a knee and Ben Skowronek with a hip, their availability remains questionable." Tomlin said. "I just don't have a lot of new information on those guys given that we just played last night and we're still in the process of assessing those things. Anybody that didn't make it out of the stadium yesterday on a four day turnaround is probably going to have a difficult time showing for this one."

Tomlin couldn't provide any clarity on the injury, but it is clearly a knee injury which is a bit concerning. It also seems like Porter will certainly be out against the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday due to the short turnaround in between games. There is still hope that the injury won't keep the second-year cornerback out for too long, but things certainly don't look good.

With Jackson and Porter both out for the majority of the game in Baltimore, it left James Pierre and Cory Trice Jr. at cornerback for Pittsburgh. Pierre has a decent amount of experience, but he isn't a player that fans feel very comfortable seeing all alone on the outside. People don't quite know what to expect from Trice yet. He missed his entire rookie season in 2023, and he played minimally to begin the 2024 season before suffering a hamstring injury.

Fans were excited about Trice coming into 2024. He made some big plays earlier in the year with some big tackles and a crucial interception in the end zone against the Denver Broncos. Unfortunately the second-year cornerback went down in Week 3 with a hamstring injury, and he didn't return until Saturday's game in Baltimore.

Both players didn't look ideal on Saturday. The secondary certainly had some lapses in coverage, while the rest of the defense struggled to stop the rushing attack from the Ravens. The entire unit will have to play better against the Chiefs on Wednesday, with or without Porter.

Steelers' Big Offseason Mistake Is Coming To Light

Jackson has struggled with injuries throughout the 2024 season. He hasn't missed significant time, but it has been difficult for the veteran cornerback to make it through a complete game without taking a visit from the trainers. The injury issues that the organization has seen in that room proves that General Manager Omar Khan could have done more when it comes to addressing the position during the 2024 offseason. 

Porter was a young player going into his second season, and Jackson was a veteran going to a new team for the first time. It would have been wise to add some more experienced depth to the room, just for moments like these when the injuries begin to pile up.

Are you worried about Porter's injury?