Photo Credit: AP
When the preseason game between the Steelers and the Bills started, no one thought that injuries were going to be the star. Unfortunately during the first half, each team had already lost at least one key member of their roster. However, it looks like the Steelers are the ones who are really suffering.
When the Steelers lost their kick Shaun Suisham during the Hall of Fame game, they had to scramble to find a replacement for him. They quickly had a few kickers try out before finally settling on former Cleveland Brown/New Orleans Saint kicker, Garrett Hartley. During the first quarter, Hartley was taken out due to a right hamstring injury and the Steelers announced that he would not be returning to play the remainder of the game. It is unclear how severe Hartley’s injury is or how long he will be out for, but it looks like the Steelers could be shopping around the free agency market for another kicker.
Along with Hartley, the Steelers have lost another one of their key players. This time, it’s on the other side of the field and like Hartley, he is relatively new. Their 2015 first-round draft pick, Bud Dupree was taken out of the game with a right foot injury. Dupree is did not return the rest of the game and it is unclear how severe his injury is.
The Bills also had to take two players out of the game as well. In the first quarter, Bills CB Stephon Gilmore was taken out to be examined for a possible concussion. Gilmore was hit by Steelers WR Markus Wheaton, but it looks like Gilmore has been cleared of any concussions. According to NFL Network, the team decided to have him sit out of the rest of the game due to a shoulder injury.
The second Bill to get injured was WR Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin was hit while running with the ball and sat on the field for a few minutes with the trainers before finally making his way off the field. Trainers and RB Fred Jackson helped Goodwin off the field as he walked slowly towards the sidelines. It has been reported that Goodwin has a rib injury and from the way he walked off, it looked like it could be serious.
This preseason has been ravaged with injuries to all teams. If that’s not a wake-up call to the NFL, then who knows what will be?
