Pittman Out vs Patriots With Foot Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is out for Sunday's road game at the New England Patriots after the club downgraded him from questionable to out Saturday with a foot injury. Pittman was limited Wednesday, then missed Thursday and Friday practice. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is also out after leaving Thursday's practice with a back injury during his ramp-up period.

Pittman, traded from Indianapolis in the offseason, caught all three of his targets for 58 yards in the season opener against Atlanta. His presence helped free space for DK Metcalf. He also missed a sizable chunk of training camp after an Aug. 8 Latrobe practice scare, so the foot flare is not coming out of nowhere. The Friday report still listed him as questionable. Saturday closed the book.

Bernard and Wilson next up

With Pittman scratched, rookie Germie Bernard is the name most rooms expect to see more. The second-round Alabama product played only three snaps in Week 1, but Aaron Rodgers and the coaching staff have praised his growth and his habit of not repeating mistakes. Roman Wilson also sits in the mix behind Metcalf. Pittsburgh does not get to invent a new WR2 overnight. The next names have to win routes on detail, not vibes.

Fantasy boards that streamed Pittman as a flex after the 58-yard opener can stamp him out for Week 2. Metcalf remains the alpha target. Bernard is a dart, not a lock. Wilson is depth until the snaps prove otherwise. Wait for the inactive list before overreacting to snap-count guesses or inventing a sudden three-wide hierarchy that the coaching staff has not shown.

Foxborough already looked like a tough road ask for an offense still installing Rodgers' language. Losing Pittman's body between the hashes and Porter's coverage on the same report is a real tax on both sides of the ball. Stamp both outs, then watch the inactive sheet for any late defensive adds before kickoff.

Week 1 already showed why Pittsburgh wanted Pittman's frame next to Metcalf. Three targets, three catches, 58 yards, and clean spacing. Without him at Gillette, Rodgers' first read tree gets thinner and New England's corners can shade Metcalf more often. That is the fan translation of an official out, not a guess about season-long IR.

1 p.m. at Gillette

Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Gillette Stadium on CBS. Pittman's foot already locked the receiver plan. Porter's back is the secondary stamp that still matters before kickoff.

Limited Wednesday. Out Saturday. Patriots at 1. That is Pittsburgh's Week 2 board.