Rashard Mendenhall Injury: How Are Steelers Affected If RB Misses Time?

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall injured his hamstring after scoring a three-yard touchdown later in the third quarter on Sunday. He did not return during the final quarter of the team's 17-10 loss to the Houston Texans and if he's out for an extended period of time, the Steelers could be in trouble.

Mendenhall has gotten off to a terrible start this season. The fourth-year veteran out of Illinois has carried the ball 58 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns. That 2.98 yards-per-carry average is awful, but the running back isn't the one to blame.

Pittsburgh's offensive line has been horrendous so far this season, as they have allowed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked 14 times. Big Ben has been under constant pressure, and the results have shown in his stats.

Roethlisberger has completed 85-of-138 passes (61.6 percent) for 1,148 yards, but has just three touchdowns and five interceptions. His quarterback rating of 80.2 is 19th in the NFL.

Getting Mendenhall going was Pittsburgh's only hope of keeping Roethlisberger upright. We won't know how long the running back will miss until an MRI reveals the extent of the damage to his hamstring, but it's a safe bet that he will be gone for at least one game.

Hamstring injuries often take several weeks to recover from, even if it turns out to be just a strain.

Ike Redman and Mewelde Moore rotated in place of Mendenhall to finish Sunday's game, and neither of them has his ability to be consistently dangerous.

The Steelers currently have the NFL's 20th-ranked rushing attack, averaging just 93.8 yards per game. That needs to improve, and with Mendenhall sidelined, there is little chance of that happening.

The Steelers are currently a disappointing 2-2 and need to get things going in a hurry if they want to be contenders in the AFC North. That will be incredibly difficult if Mendenhall misses a significant chunk of time.