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brooke prior
pittsburgh– steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he doesn’t expect the wide receiver to DK MetcalfAvailability for Monday’s game against miami dolphins (6-7) in jeopardy because of his hospital visit and overnight stay in Baltimore after Sunday’s win.
“He’s moving in the right direction,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference.
“I don’t think it’s going to jeopardize his availability at all, but it certainly could jeopardize his availability in the early parts of the week from a practice standpoint. Thankfully, he’s OK. I appreciate our medical staff and how quickly they acted and made sure he was safe and could be taken care of after the game.”
After posting a season-high 148 yards on seven receptions in a 27–22 victory, Metcalf was removed from the team flight by medical personnel after complaining of abdominal pain. He went to a local hospital, stayed in a hotel overnight and returned to Pittsburgh on Monday.
“He was hit in the stomach or abdomen during the game,” Tomlin said. “I think they gave him some basic over-the-counter treatments in the game like Pepto or something like that. And after the game it probably got progressively worse, so I commend our medical experts. We just took a lot of precautions. We didn’t want to put him on the air without a full understanding of what he was dealing with, and they did a good job of that.”
While Metcalf is likely to play against a Dolphins defense that has held opponents to just 13.3 points per game in their last four wins, the status of several other key contributors is up in the air.
Three Steelers–TE darnell washingtonot andrus peat and L.B malik harrison – CB is in concussion protocol while james pierre (calf) and dl tangerine benton (Ankle) may be limited in practice due to injuries sustained during sports. Tomlin also said that security kyle duggar (Hand) has a “chance” to play after missing Sunday’s game. 1st round DT status derrick harmon (knee), which caused him to miss the last two games, is also up in the air, and Tomlin said Harmon’s practice participation will determine his availability.
With injuries mounting and an extra preparation ahead of hosting “Monday Night Football,” Tomlin decided to give the Steelers (7-6) Wednesday off. The team will resume practice on Thursday with its normal Wednesday schedule.
“We felt it appropriate to give ourselves an extra 24 hours to recover this week, so that’s why we’ve taken the same approach we’ve taken this week,” Tomlin said. “… We’ll give guys some extra time to rest and recuperate and be able to put their hand in the pile.”
