![\"Steelers](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2236615666-e1763157030680-1.jpg\")
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The\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0shared their final injury news on Friday, November 14, ahead of the Week 11 divisional game against the\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals.<\/p>\n
As always, team reporter\u00a0Teresa Varley broke down\u00a0the injury designations, noting that starting cornerback\u00a0Darius Slay\u00a0(concussion), starting edge rusher\u00a0Alex Highsmith\u00a0(pectoral), and linebacker\/special teamer\u00a0Cole Holcomb\u00a0(illness) will not suit up this weekend. Each was officially ruled \u201cout\u201d in Week 11.<\/p>\n
On top of those three absences, starting guard\u00a0Isaac Seumalo\u00a0(pectoral) and cornerback\u00a0Cory Trice Jr.\u00a0(hamstring\/knee) were both labeled as \u201cquestionable\u201d for the Bengals matchup.<\/p>\n
Seumalo has been in and out of the gameday lineup with a nagging pectoral issue. After missing Week 10, the veteran offensive lineman\u00a0returned to practice on Wednesday. It appears he\u2019ll have a chance to go on Sunday, although it is notable that Seumalo has previously aggravated this injury.<\/p>\n
As for Trice, the former seventh-round pick has\u00a0yet to play in a game\u00a0this year. So, it\u2019s possible that Week 11 will be his 2025 debut.<\/p>\n
GettyPittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith will not play in Week 11.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the first time Highsmith has missed time this season. The edge rusher was out of the lineup\u00a0from Week 3 through the Week 5 bye, but he\u2019s been healthy ever since.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, another injury has been \u201cfrustrating\u201d for Highsmith.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just frustrating for something like this to pop up because I\u2019m someone who really takes care of my body and does a lot extra to make sure these things don\u2019t happen,\u201d the veteran stated earlier this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just have to continue to rehab,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating because I care and I do a lot. I put a lot of work into my body, so I just have to continue to rehab and get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highsmith also said that he was \u201coptimistic\u201d about playing through this pectoral injury in Week 11, but apparently, that\u2019s not going to happen. Rising pass rusher\u00a0Nick Herbig\u00a0will presumably start in place of Highsmith.<\/p>\n
The Steelers aren\u2019t the only ones with different injuries to manage in Week 11. Cincinnati has its fair share, including star edge rusher\u00a0Trey Hendrickson\u00a0and draft pick\u00a0Shemar Stewart\u00a0(both ruled out), as well as backup running back\u00a0Samaje Perine\u00a0(ruled out).<\/p>\n
The other key injury to watch will be quarterback\u00a0Joe Flacco. With\u00a0Joe Burrow\u00a0still working his way back from injury, Flacco has been key to the Bengals\u2019 success.<\/p>\n
Flacco did not practice on Friday after logging a \u201climited\u201d practice session on Thursday, but he\u2019s still expected to start on Sunday, according\u00a0to Bengals columnist Mike Petraglia.<\/p>\n
Similarly, ESPN beat reporter\u00a0Ben Baby relayed\u00a0the following on Flacco on November 14.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good week for Bengals QB Joe Flacco as he continues to deal with the sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder,\u201d Baby stated.<\/p>\n
He added a quote from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, who said: \u201cSeemingly, he\u2019s in a better spot this week. I feel very good about him playing on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n
It appears Flacco will at least give it a go in Week 11, although it should be noted that he seems to be playing through an injury.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Jefferson is coming off back-to-back performances in which he hasn\u2019t even hit 50 or more receiving yards. The Vikings star is in the middle of his prime years, and he\u2019s posted 1,400 or more receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons. However, it doesn\u2019t appear that he will hit 1,400-plus receiving yards this campaign.<\/p>\n
Amid the struggles, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio shared a blunt assessment on why Jefferson is struggling this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m struggling here to get the right words because I love Justin Jefferson, and I think he\u2019s awesome, and I think he can get back to that,\u201d Florio said on the November 14 edition of \u201cPro Football Talk Live.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut part of me is thinking maybe the other guys are just better now. Maybe it\u2019s not like we\u2019re going to flip a switch. Maybe they\u2019ve figured out how to defend him. Three years later, three years older, three years of wear and tear. I have to force myself to articulate these words, but I think we at least have to account for the possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe possible explanations are that guy doesn\u2019t work here anymore. You\u2019re not that guy anymore. You\u2019re not going to be that guy again. We\u2019ve seen candles burn very brightly and then not\u2026 It\u2019s only Year 6. But if I\u2019m looking at all the potential explanations, one of them is the competition has gotten better. And maybe it\u2019s because he\u2019s not the guy he was three years ago for whatever reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Jefferson\u2019s first four seasons in the league, he had former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins passing him the ball, followed by Sam Darnold. Nonetheless, that same success that the wideout had with these veteran quarterbacks hasn\u2019t translated to McCarthy.<\/p>\n
As a result, NBC Sports\u2019 Michael Holley stated, in that same segment, that Jefferson is paying the price for the learning process that the young Vikings quarterback is going through in Year 2, which is technically Year 1, considering he missed his rookie season due to injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great receiver, and I think most great receivers say, \u2018Just throw me the ball, I can make any quarterback look good,\u2019 but [the Vikings have had] a lot of change [at quarterback] in the last three years,\u201d Holley said. \u201cAnd I think that has affected him, too. He was being nice about J.J. McCarthy [saying], \u2018He\u2019s a great player.\u2019 No, he\u2019s not.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe might become one, but he\u2019s not playing like a great player right now and maybe he doesn\u2019t know how to get you the ball the way you really want it. Maybe he doesn\u2019t fully understand what you\u2019re capable of. He\u2019s trying, but he\u2019s still too green to figure out what he has in Justin Jefferson. It\u2019s a tough spot. I think he\u2019s just as frustrated as AJ Brown, but he\u2019s expressing it in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though defenses keep bracketing and doubling Jefferson, adding to the frustration around the standout receiver, he made it clear that he still enjoys playing for the Vikings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I lost it, but of course it\u2019s a little bit difficult when teams play me the way they have been playing me,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cI don\u2019t have those one-on-one coverages as much as I used to, and that\u2019s probably why I missed \u2018Year 3 Jets,\u2019 because I\u2019m having a little bit less double coverages and a lot less attention than, of course, now. So I guess you can say that kind of takes away a little bit of the joy, but I still love going out there and playing football.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0shared their final injury news on Friday, November 14, ahead of the Week 11 divisional game against the\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals. As always, team reporter\u00a0Teresa Varley broke down\u00a0the injury designations, noting that starting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t