The huge storyline around the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts revolved around Michael Pittman Jr. This was his revenge game but that won’t happen now that he has been ruled out.
Michael Pittman suffered a foot injury and according to Mike McCarthy, he re-injured and will miss a few weeks. In fact, the Steelers have ruled him out for the game against the Colts in Week 5.
Pittman was one of the biggest moves the Steelers did in the offseason. He was supposed to become Aaron Rodgers‘ best weapon, but between injuries and early-season woes, he hasn’t been able to.
Pittman’s numbers in the 2026 NFL season so far
Pittman has started three out of the four games so far this season. He has just seven catches for 89 yards so far. Pittman averages 70.3 receptions per season, but in his first year with the Steelers, he was on pace to just get 2.33 catches per game. Of course, it will be a bit higher given that he won’t play all 17 games, but it’s still heavily underwhelming in comparison.
Pittman played his first six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, so this was his first game against them after they traded him to Pittsburgh. Now, the biggest storyline in the game was taken away by injury.
Steelers also ruled out other players vs Colts
Jamel Dean and DeShon Elliott were also ruled out for the game against Colts. Given that Dean and Elliott are both defensive backs, the Steelers secondary might be in deep trouble trying to stop the Colts aerial weapons.
For instance, that should mean that wide receiver Josh Downs should be poised for a huge game. Tight end Tyler Warren is also in for a huge game if the Steelers can’t adjust properly on the defensive side of things.
Key takeaways
- Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is ruled out against Indianapolis after re-injuring his foot.
- Pittman has recorded seven catches for 89 yards across three games this season.
- Pittsburgh also ruled out defensive backs Jamel Dean and DeShon Elliott for Week 5.
