Are Mounting Injuries in Pittsburgh Steelers Defense Cause for Concern?

For the past five weeks, the main injury concern for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been at the quarterback position. Starter Ben Roethlisberger suffered an MCL sprain and bone bruise in the team's Week 3 win over the St. Louis Rams, and his backup, Mike Vick, strained his hamstring in Week 6, causing the team to turn to third-stringer Landry Jones in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

But with Roethlisberger set to return in Week 8's contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, the injury focus now shifts to the other side of the ball. While everyone wrung their hands about the state of Pittsburgh's offense without their starting quarterback, injuries have been mounting on defense. And these injuries could take a negative toll on the Steelers as they head into the brutal second-half stretch of their season.

Player	Injury
LB Terence Garvin	Knee
DE Stephon Tuitt	Knee
CB William Gay	Shoulder
S Will Allen	Ankle
LB Ryan Shazier	Shoulder
CB Cortez Allen	Knee*

These aren't minor injuries suffered by bit players, either.

Inside linebacker Ryan Shazier made his return to the field in Week 7 after being out since Week 3 with a shoulder injury. Prior to the injury, Shazier was one of the Steelers' highest-impact players, particularly in coverage and against the run. Reserve linebacker and special teams contributor Terence Garvin is set to miss a few weeks after undergoing a knee procedure, according to 970 ESPN Pittsburgh's David Todd:

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt missed the Chiefs game with a knee sprain, and it's still unknown if he'll suit up on Sunday against the undefeated Bengals. Though the Steelers did sack Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith twice, Pittsburgh's pass rush could have used the team's sack leader in the game and will certainly be helped considerably by him being on the field in Week 8. 

Cornerback Cortez Allen has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Safety Will Allen missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury and has "a chance" (along with Tuitt and Vick) to be ready to go for the Bengals game on Sunday, per Steelers.com's Missi Matthews.

Another member of Pittsburgh's secondary, cornerback William Gay, left the Chiefs game with a shoulder injury. Though not ruled out for Sunday, his participation in practice this week is likely to be limited, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac noted. If he cannot play, Brandon Boykin would see his most playing time of the year alongside Ross Cockrell and Antwon Blake.

The potential for so many replacement-level players to be on the field for Pittsburgh's defense, not just against the high-powered Bengals offense but for any extended period of time, could be a problem. The defense, while better than expected particularly in the pass rush, is still the team's biggest weakness.

And injuries mounting in the secondary, specifically, are especially unwelcome given that Pittsburgh already ranks 26th in average passing yardage allowed and six of their remaining opponents rank in the top half of the league in passing yardage.

It's possible that the Steelers' injury problems on defense are a first-half-of-the-season phenomenon, which could lead the team to getting healthier as the year rolls on. This is a good thing—the healthier the Steelers can be when it's time for a playoff push, the better.

But six defenders have already missed or could miss time, and the odds are high that injuries will continue to happen. That's just the nature of the sport and a side effect of fewer and fewer players being 100 percent healthy as each week passes. 

These defensive injuries haven't sunk the Steelers so far. But there's only so much a team can take before these absences take an appreciable, negative toll on the win-loss record. The last thing the Steelers want is to find out exactly where the tipping point is. The goal is to get healthier; the alternative is not a pleasant one.