Steelers Lose Harrison To Broken Eye Socket

Added on Oct 04, 2011 by Scott in

NFL

The hits keep on coming for the Super Bowl losers. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a sprained foot, running back Reshard Mendenhall is nursing a bad hamstring and now linebacker James Harrison will be sidelined “multiple weeks” with a broken eye socket. Harrison suffered the injury after colliding with Texans tackle Duane Brown in Sunday’s 17-10 loss in Houston.

Head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t clear on the duration of time Harrison will miss. Raiders running back Darren McFadden sat out all of training camp after breaking his orbital bone in early August, but was able to play in the season opener. So, a three- to four-week timetable sounds about right.

Obviously, Harrison’s absence will deliver a blow to the Steelers defense. Thus far, the normally stout unit has struggled against the run, ranking 21st in the league. Arian Foster shredded them for 155 yards on Sunday; Ray Rice ripped them for 107 yards in Week 1.

Blame age, the abbreviated offseason or a Super Bowl hangover, but the Steelers don’t look like the same team that has dominated the AFC for the last several years. The offensive line is a mess, which has negatively impacted both Roethlisberger and Mendenhall, who are off to slow starts.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the rest of the AFC won’t be very sympathetic. The surprising 3-1 Titans come to town on Sunday, and future visits from New England and Baltimore loom. Further complicating matters, the AFC Central looks to be much more competitive than in previous seasons. The Ravens have already crushed the Steelers and Jets, and the Browns and Bengals are both 2-2.

The Steelers are just one of many 2010 playoff teams to stumble out of the gate. The Jets, Colts, Chiefs, Eagles, Bears, Falcons and Seahawks are all failing to meet expectations due to injuries, poor coaching and inconsistent play.

Pittsburgh is currently giving -5.5 points to the Titans.

Source: NFL.com