Steelers dodged some major bullets with injuries to Tyson Alualu and Cameron Heyward

The Pittsburgh Steelers got an encouraging report regarding the injuries sustained to both Tyson Alualu and Cameron Heyward.

Beating the Ravens was nothing short of spectacular. Though the Pittsburgh Steelers came out completely flat on offense in Week 8, they would have the last laugh in Baltimore – eventually taking down their most hated rival in a 28-24 victory.

Though we can question some of the struggles on both sides of the ball and point the finger, it’s hard to find a lot to complain about when your team advances to 7-0 for the first time in 42 years. With one more win next week, this would mark the first time the Steelers have ever started the season with a record of 8-0.

But even with all there is to celebrate right now, there were some injuries to a few key players that left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Nose tackle, Tyson Alualu, went down with a knee injury in the first half and did not return to the game. In fact, he could be seen in street clothes from the sideline coming out of halftime. This was not an encouraging sign.

Cameron Heyward also went down with injuries twice in this game. While the first was speculated to be cramping, the second time he went down, he needed to be helped off the field.

These two players have been stellar for the Steelers in 2020, and are a huge reason for their success up front. Losing them for an extended period of time would really have an impact on this defense. Fortunately, the team recently received good news about both players.

Injuries to Steelers DL not as serious as they could have been

Leaving the game with a knee injury is never something you want to see. Devin Bush went down with a non-contact injury against the Cleveland Browns that turned out to be a torn ACL – ending his 2020 season in an instant. Thankfully, Tyson Alualu did not suffer anything close to the same injury.

Recently, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the initial diagnosis for Alualu is a sprained MCL and that the team is waiting for the MRI to confirm. This is almost the best-case scenario for Pittsburgh. With nothing torn and no surgery required, Alualu will likely miss a little time but could be back on the field in a few games, as the injury is considered to be minor.

For Cameron Heyward, the news could be even better. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Heyward is dealing with a minor quad injury. Though a tear could be much more serious, this is also considered to be a minor injury, and he could be back on the field soon.

The news on both of these players has to be encouraging, as we now know that they will be back on the field soon. Losing either player for the season could have been a huge blow to the team, as Pittsburgh’s defensive line is widely considered the best positional group on the team – possibly in the entire NFL.

With Alualu and Heyward now trying to nurse back to full health, I wouldn’t even consider rushing them back into action with where the Steelers are sitting right now. They will need these two guys healthy if they want to make a Super Bowl run later this year.