The Steelers could be without tailback Willie Parker as it has been rumored that he has a torn labrum that will require surgery at the end of the year.  He is out indefinately.  Parker has played in 4 games for the Steelers this season and he has carried the ball 87 times for 333 yards (3.8 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Mewelde Moore will continue as the Steelers’ feature back until Parker is ready to return to action.  Moore has played in 8 games for the Steelers this season and he has carried the ball 69 times for 320 yards (4.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 16 passes for 123 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Moore has done a good job for the Steelers and look for that to continue until Willie Parker is ready to return to action.

The Steelers might be without starting TE Heath Miller for a while as he has a bum ankle.  Miller has played in 8 games for the Steelers this season and he has caught 21 passes for 240 yards (11.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Miller is a very underrated player who should be one of the best TEs in the NFL, but, the Steelers just don’t throw the ball enough to him.  Matt Spaeth will take over as the starter until Miller is ready to return to action.  He has played in 8 games this season and he has caught  3 passes for 18 yards (6.0 avg).  Spaeth is a good blocker but he’s not much of a receiver so the Steelers’ passing game could suffer some until Miller is ready to return.

Starting fullback Carey Davis will absent for the Steelers’ game against the Jaguars on Sunday Night football.  Davis has carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards (1.8 ypc) and he also has caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) this season.  Davis will be replaced by converted TE Sean McHugh and that will hurt the Steelers’ running game.

The Steelers have lost rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall for the season due to a fractured right shoulder that he suffered in the Monday Night game against the Ravens.  Mendenhall’s rookie season ends with 58 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  Maybe Mendenhall will learn his lesson about talking trash as the Ravens definately wanted to flatten him and they did.

The Steelers have lost starting right guard Kendall Simmons for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon that he suffered in the Monday Night game with the Ravens.  Trai Essex and Darnell Stapleton will battle for Simmons’ old job and that’s not a good thing for the Steelers who are only averaging 3.4 yards per carry this season in the running game and the O-Line has got the QBs sacked 16 times this season.