The squeamish should look away. As Al Michaels put it, 'This is one of those injuries where we don't need to show the replay.' This is referring to the gruesome injury that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Cole Holcomb, suffered in the first half of Thursday Night Football against the Titans in Week 9.
At first glance, it looked like Holcomb may have just collided with a teammate and perhaps had only taken a shot to the knee. However, the replay angle had us all grimacing in pain as we felt for the Steelers linebacker. You can see it here at your own risk.
For those who don't need to look, I can tell you that the way Holcomb's knee buckled inside out shows just how significant this injury will be. The veteran linebacker was immediately carted off the field and was still in obvious pain as he headed back for a medical check.
While we still don't have confirmation on the injury at this time, it certainly looks like one that is going to end his 2023 season (and possibly then some). Holcomb was having a great year in his first season in Pittsburgh as well, so this is a bummer.
Steelers’ HC Mike Tomlin told reporters that Cole Holcomb’s knee injury is, as feared, “serious” and added, “Our thoughts and prayers are with him.” pic.twitter.com/6gy0e5eGlS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 3, 2023
In his fourth season with Washington in 2022, Holcomb's year was cut short after just seven games when he landed on IR for the remainder of the season. In his last full season, Holcomb racked up 142 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles Washington back in 2021.
Ironically, Holcomb played in just 7 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers before a gruesome knee injury claimed the rest of his season. This will be the second year in a row in which he has missed the final 10 games of the year.
Holcomb was one of Pittsburgh's biggest free agent signings during the 2023 offseason, and the Steelers gave him a three-year deal. Let's hope that he can rehab and get back on track for the start of next season.
The 27-year-old was playing some of the best football of his career, and the hope is that he can come back healthy and strong to help the middle of this defense. We wish him the best of luck in his road to recovery.