Two Pittsburgh Steelers running backs suffered injuries in the team's 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, coach Mike Tomlin revealed in his weekly press conference. Mewelde Moore, Tomlin said, sprained an MCL, and his status for Saturday's game against the St. Louis Rams is questionable. In addition, starting running back Rashard Mendenhall bruised his ribs, though he is expected to play Saturday.
If Moore cannot play, however, it would leave a hole on Pittsburgh's depth chart behind Mendenhall, as third-stringer Jonathan Dwyer's season ended when the team placed him on injured reserve. The team could choose to promote John Clay from the practice squad. An undrafted rookie from Wisconsin, Clay has yet to play an NFL snap.
Tomlin also addressed why he left Ben Roethlisberger in the game even after it was out of hand. The Steelers' star quarterback played through a Grade 1 ankle sprain, but Tomlin elected not to pull him simply because he did not want to; he did not elaborate further.
In addition, Tomlin said linebacker LaMarr Woodley needed to come out of Monday's game due to a "fatigued" hamstring, not an injury. The team expects him to play Saturday.
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