The Trib reports that Troy Polamalu, who is struggling with an Achilles injury, could play against the Panthers Thursday night. It could be tricky to get him on the field, though, because the Steelers have a short week and only practice on Tuesday.
"It’s still early in the week in terms of where (Polamalu) is, his availability to practice and ultimately to play," Tomlin said today at his weekly news conference.
If the Steelers had beaten the Jets Sunday night and clinched a playoff spot as a result, I wonder if we would be talking about this, but pretty much every scenario that would get the Steelers into the playoffs bricked, and they'll have to keep winning if they want to beat out the Ravens for a first-round bye. The Steelers should have a pretty easy time against the Panthers with or without Polamalu, but in the NFL, you never know. The Panthers pulled out their second win of the season against the Cardinals this week.
The Trib also reports that Heath Miller should be ready to go against the Panthers.