Rashard Mendenhall Injury: Steelers' Playoff Hopes Still High Without Star RB

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall was forced to leave Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns with an apparent right knee injury. He carried the ball just eight times before the injury and was unable to return.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter (via Twitter), Mendenhall is scheduled to undergo an MRI for the injury. 

Now, I'm no doctor, but that injury looked serious.

When he goes in for that MRI, I'm thinking an injury that has to do with something that rhymes with Shmem-C-L (don't want to jinx it) is likely. If Mendenhall returns for Pittsburgh's wild-card matchup with the Denver Broncos, I'd be very surprised. 

Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, this isn't as big of a blow as it might seem.

First of all, backup Isaac Redman isn't much of a downgrade. 

Even though Mendenhall has looked better as of late, he is still extremely slow and hesitant at times. On the year, he averaged just 4.0 yards per carry and failed to reach 1,000 yards.

Redman, on the other hand, has been far more explosive at times, constantly ripping off long, powerful runs. He has averaged 4.3 yards per carry, and that includes poor performances when he was never given enough carries to get going (games against San Francisco and Baltimore, to name a couple).

Today was just the third time all season Redman has received more than 15 carries in a game, but he proved he can handle a full load as he had 19 totes for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Still though, those are all just stats from a small sample size. Redman has looked better than Mendenhall at times, but Steelers fans can't necessarily put their trust in Redman all of a sudden.

The real reason this injury won't hurt Pittsburgh's chances at a Super Bowl run is its style of play. The Steelers have become much less reliant on the running game this year. 

They've won games with their defense and they've won games on the arm of Ben Roethlisberger. Specifically for this team, a downgrade at the running back spot isn't the worst thing in the world. 

Mendenhall's carries are way down from last year, and it's clear Pittsburgh's best offensive threat is the passing game. If they had to throw the ball every play, I don't think they'd mind, considering how explosive guys like Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are.

Furthermore, don't forget the struggles Mendenhall had last year in the playoffs.

He lost two fumbles in just three games, and that includes the crucial cough-up in the Super Bowl. Some players just don't have it during postseason play, and it's very possible Mendy is one of those types of guys. 

So, yes, Rashard Mendenhall is a great running back and it would hurt to lose him to a serious injury. But it's not time to jump ship.

He has a capable backup in Isaac Redman, and Pittsburgh knows how to win without the running game.