UPDATE, 3:30 PM: Ed Bouchette of the Post Gazette reports that Suisham will have surgery to repair a torn ACL this week. He also suffered cartilage damage as a part of the injury. The Steelers will likely sign a replacement sometime in the near future.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans hopeful that kicker Shaun Suisham's injury won't turn out to be that severe may want to stop reading. A new report, from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, suggests that Suisham, the Steelers veteran placekicker, believes he has torn his ACL. Suisham is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.
Suisham was injured on a second-half kickoff during the Steelers and the NFL's preseason-opening game on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. After the game, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette characterized Suisham's injury as "potentially serious."
After helping to make the tackle on the kickoff, Suisham limped to the Pittsburgh locker room and did not return.
The 33-year-old Suisham has been the full-time Steelers kicker since 2010 and signed a new four-year deal last August. He posted a career-best 134 points just last season.
As NFL.com notes, while it would seem a small thing to be able to replace a placekicker, steady, consistent and clutch ones are very difficult to come by. When taking into account the fact that Heinz Field is a notoriously difficult place for kickers and the importance of field position based on directional kicking, the potential loss of Suisham could be devastating for a Steelers team that hasn't posted a playoff victory since 2010 when they eventually lost in the Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers.
