The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to do just enough on Sunday. A strong defensive performance propelled the team to victory against the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 in the team’s first game of the season. Unfortunately, the victory came at a high price.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin initially announced after the game that the team feared punter Cameron Johnston suffered a serious injury. Now, the worst has been confirmed.
Prominent league insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Johnston will be out for the remainder of the season with a season-ending knee injury.
“#Steelers punter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s win over the #Falcons, sources say. A blow to Pittsburgh special teams in more ways than one, as Johnston was also the holder for Chris Boswell,” Rapoport said in a post on X, the social media website that was formerly known as Twitter.
#Steelers punter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s win over the #Falcons, sources say. A blow to Pittsburgh special teams in more ways than one, as Johnston was also the holder for Chris Boswell. pic.twitter.com/0Xia01VAGQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2024
The injury came in the fourth quarter when Johnston was run into moments after delivering a 51-yard punt. The play was nullified due to penalties on both teams and placekicker Chris Boswell came in for Johnston and managed a 43-yard punt.
This is a huge loss for the Steelers, who brought in the premiere punter this offseason after poor special teams play on punts last season. The team’s punters from last season are free agents, but they want to look in other directions. It’ll be interesting to see if the Steelers can find an answer before Sunday’s game in Denver.
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