Austin took a hit on the reception after catching a second down throw from Russell Wilson. Trainers quickly removed him off the field and brought him to the medical tent for additional monitoring.
Austin had two receptions for 20 yards before leaving. With a 27-21 deficit, the Steelers offense was attempting to gain a late lead. In Austin’s absence, the offense looks to Mike Williams, Ben Skowronek at wide receiver, George Pickens, and Van Jefferson.
Before playing again, Austin will need to have a concussion evaluation. He can rejoin the team and the game if he is cleared. He will enter concussion protocol otherwise.
The story is still evolving. As further details on Austin’s injuries become available, Steelers On SI will keep you updated.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are legitimate Super Bowl contenders
My opinion of the Steelers going into this season was straightforward: they would automatically be better than they were the previous season. I’ll tell you how far the quarterbacks can go if you tell me how good they are. The 2024 NFL season is ten weeks in, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are a serious contender in the AFC.
Possibly the most rewarding victory of the season came against the Washington Commanders. Yes, it’s always amazing to watch Pittsburgh completely destroy weaker opponents, as they did against the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders. How you perform in comparison to other outstanding NFL teams, however, is even more satisfying and distinguishes the excellent teams from the great ones. The Steelers overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to defeat a very good Commanders team that had an MVP-candidate quarterback and one of the top-scoring offenses on the road. These are the things that great teams do, and they are what separate a contender from a playoff team.
In addition, the Steelers’ victory style is what convinced me that this game was the season’s high point for this club. Being down 10 used to be a death sentence. The game was ended if more than 20 points were given up. In past years, a blowout would have been the outcome of a poorly executed fake punt, a fumble at the one-yard line, and losing the turnover war. But today, the defense came through in a big way, the offense stepped up and needed it, and they achieved the epitome of a team victory.
In this game, the Steelers’ defense mostly collapsed, allowing for a string of explosive plays and a 15-play drive at the end of the first half that put Washington ahead at the half. After Terry McLaurin’s 54-yard catch-and-run after the Commanders got the ball to start the half, Jeremy McNichols scored, and suddenly the score was 24-14. In response, the Steelers went on their own nine-play drive, which ended with a touchdown by Najee Harris.
For all intents and purposes, their 14-play drive ended with the previously noted Jaylen Warren fumble at the goal line, which would have effectively ended the game. Six plays later, though, a Wilson moonbomb to the recently acquired Mike Williams gave the Steelers the lead for good after the defense forced a punt from the end zone.
Pittsburgh demonstrated their ability to rely on both sides of the ball, win in a shootout, and bounce back. Do you need to see anything else? And in an AFC that is tearing apart and a season in which the Kansas City Chiefs appear to have a weakness, who’s to say the Steelers couldn’t try to win this?
