Steelers LB Cole Holcomb carted off with knee injury vs. Titans

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb went down with what appears to be a left knee injury in Week 9’s primetime contest against the Tennessee Titans.

He immediately clinched at the knee, following a stoppage of a 29-yard gain from quarterback Will Levis to WR DeAndre Hopkins. The cart came out as Holcomb appeared unable to bear weight on that left leg after the collision on the tackle with teammate Keanu Neal.

It’s brutal timing for Holcomb, who’s tied with All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for a team-high 54 tackles, credited with 27 defensive stops on the season per NFL Next Gen Stats, also the second-most this season on defense.

Veteran LB Kwon Alexander came in to replace him following the injury.

 

 

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Steelers’ Matt Canada calls plays from sideline — not coaches’ box — vs. Titans

Matt Canada’s view of the action has changed. Time will tell if better results for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense will follow.

Canada, the Steelers’ embattled offensive coordinator, was on the sideline for the start of Thursday night’s home game against the Tennessee Titans. That was newsworthy because over his 2 1/2 seasons calling the Steelers’ plays he had taken in games from a coaches’ booth on the pressbox level.

The Steelers scored a touchdown on their first possession Thursday, matching their production for the first quarters of their first seven games of the season combined. Through seven games headed into Thursday, the Steelers ranked 30th among the 32 NFL teams in yards (271.1 per game). Though they ranked 29th in points (16.1 per game), when accounting for two defensive touchdowns, the Steelers’ offense had produced just 14.1 points per game with nine offensive touchdowns in its seven prior games.

Canada, 51, joined the Steelers’ staff as quarterbacks coach in 2020. It was his first NFL job after 25 years of coaching in the college game, including 14 as a coordinator (in 2016 for Pitt).

With the offensive struggles, chants of “Fire Canada” have been heard regularly during Steelers home games.