Required Reading: Sean Spence Suffers Major Knee Injury and More AFC North News

The Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to get out of their fourth preseason game unscathed by injury. Rookie linebacker Sean Spence injured his left knee in the third quarter of the win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday and was carted off with an air cast around the leg. 

Preliminary sources tell Pro Football Focus that Spence has suffered a torn ACL, a torn LCL and a dislocated kneecap, which means his first season in the NFL is likely over before it really began.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens fell to the St. Louis Rams, 31-17, in the final preseason game of the year. Mike Fast of Bleacher Report breaks down the five biggest takeaways from the contest.

Ravens rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw has dealt with a shoulder injury throughout the preseason, and it was re-aggravated against the Rams on Thursday. According to head coach John Harbaugh (as reported by Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun), Upshaw will undergo an MRI, adding that he's "concerned" about the injury.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton got a bit of action in Thursday's preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts, but his night was cut even shorter by a hard hit that had him holding his right arm.

In speaking to Jeff Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other members of the media after the game, Dalton assured everyone that he is fine—it was just a bruised elbow—and there are no concerns about his readiness for the regular season.

Matt Gray of Bleacher Report breaks down the Bengals' winners and losers from Thursday's game.

Cleveland Browns

Among the topics Browns head coach Pat Shurmur touched on in the postgame press conference following the team's 28-20 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday, one was the backup quarterback situation.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Shurmur knows what he is going to do but will not announce it until the timing is right—ideally before 9 p.m. Eastern time, the deadline for teams to have their 53-man rosters finalized.

Matt Fitzgerald of Bleacher Report says the Browns should rest running back Trent Richardson until the third game of the regular season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to alter the injured reserve rules starting this season. Now, teams can designate one player who started the year on IR as one they choose to bring back as early as six weeks later or as late as the postseason.

This would be perfect for injured Steelers rookie offensive guard David DeCastro, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. DeCastro recently dislocated his kneecap and underwent surgery to repair his torn MCL.

Nick DeWitt of Bleacher Report gives us his picks for the Steelers' biggest winners and losers from Thursday's preseason contest against the Carolina Panthers.

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