The Steelers go into tonight's game against the Cincinnati Bengals without two key players on their special teams unit.
Special teams captain Miles Killebrew and receiver/returner Calvin Austin III will not be available tonight for a key AFC North matchup.
Killebrew suffered a 'significant' knee injury last week against the Cleveland Browns and was placed on the Reserve/Injured List earlier today. Austin suffered a shoulder injury against the Minnesota Vikings and is missing his second consecutive game.
The Bengals will be without starting defensive end Trey Hendrickson and well as starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.
With Killebrew out, it will take a multitude of players to step up in his place, including a mix of veterans and young players.
"Like we talk about other guys doing it, it's by committee," said defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. "A lot of guys have got to step up. (Ben) Skowronek, Connor (Heyward), Carson Bruener, Jack Sawyer, James Pierre.
"Those are just a few, but I feel like they all play a vital role, and we need all of them to just keep playing at high levels."
One player who will be available tonight is cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Last week Ramsey played despite suffering a hamstring injury against the Vikings and missing multiple days of practice.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers praised Ramsey for his preparation leading into the game, something that resonated within the locker room.
"Without a doubt, and particularly the lens through which Aaron sees it. He's been in this league 20-plus years, and he knows what's special, to be quite honest with you," Coach Mike Tomlin said of Rodgers comments during an interview with Bob Labriola for steelers.com and the Steelers pregame radio show. "And as I often say, 'It's not about what you're capable of. It's about what you're willing to do,' and what Jalen displayed to him and his teammates was just that.
"It was a display of will, a guy doing everything in his power to show up for his teammates and respecting that component of team, and I'm sure that he was less than 100 percent. And in today's game, there's so much judgment that comes with what these guys do. Oftentimes, guys don't have enough courage to do that, to play in less than ideal circumstances, because of potentially not playing well. And he didn't let any of that slow him down.
"He wanted to be out there for and with his teammates, and certainly those of us who have been around this game a long time have a big-time appreciation for that."
Safety DeShon Elliott was upgraded on Thursday from questionable to no designation. Elliott is expected to play tonight. Elliott didn't make the trip to Cincinnati with the team on Wednesday for personal reasons, but arrived in Cincinnati on Thursday.
The full list of inactives is below.
Steelers Inactives
No. 19 WR Calvin Austin III
No. 71 G Andrus Peat
No. 91 DL Logan Lee
No. 98 DE DeMarvin Leal
Bengals Inactives
No. 29 CB Cam Taylor-Britt
No. 65 C Matt Lee
No. 81 WR Jermaine Burton
No. 87 TE Tanner Hudson
No. 91 DE Trey Hendrickson
No. 93 DT McKinnley Jackson
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