The Pittsburgh Steelers had a lot work in their favor in Week 17 and now the team will be headed into the playoffs for a Saturday Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers are fresh off a nice win against the Cleveland Browns, but it came at a cost with DeAngelo Williams suffering an injury that might leave him out of the Wild Card game and the Pittsburgh run game searching for help.
Williams went down in the second quarter with an ankle injury and had to be carted off the field. He did not return and might not return in time for the playoffs. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the running back will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the exact severity of the injury as Williams was spotted after the game in a walking boot. The injury to Williams could be devastating to the Steelers if he is unable to play in the Wildcard game. Williams was replacing Le'Veon Bell who was lost for the year. In his place, the running back put up 907 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 starts. If Williams cannot play Saturday, Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman would be the two best options the Steelers have.
According to PennLive.com, Toussaint would be the starter on Saturday if Williams was unable to play. He put up 24 yards in an unimpressive showing against the Browns, something that will have to change against the tough Bengals defense. Toussaint told the media after the game that he told to simply protect the football and not turn it over. He noted that he is prepared to start if needed.
"Just go out there and squeeze the football, make sure of my keys on blitz pickup is up to par," Toussaint said, via PennLive.com, "and I made sure that happened. I'm more careful with the football anyway. As far as protecting the quarterback, that's the No. 1 thing, so I wanted to make sure I did that. I just go out there and I do what I have to do. And I think I kind of opened some eyes in that aspect."
It is no secret that if Williams is out on Saturday, the Steelers could be in trouble. The postseason would rest on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger which is not a bad thing, but will make the offense very onesided. Antonio Brown is playing his best football right now while Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton all found the endzone. The Steelers have been on a role lately, but the loss of Williams could stall things out. The team has to hope the running back can get over the ankle issue quickly.