NFL injuries, Week 13: Steelers offensive line headline AFC North injuries

Pittsburgh is reeling following a series of injuries.

Dec 2, 2013, 11:28 PM UTC

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.

The AFC North remained relatively injury free in Week 13, but unfortunately for Pittsburgh the Steelers took the brunt of the punishment on Thanksgiving.

Pittsburgh were struggling to find enough offensive linemen to properly conduct a practice on Monday, according to ESPN. Backup center Fernando Velasco will miss the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles, and he was already filling in for Maurkice Pouncey who was lost early in the season due to torn knee ligaments. It's now on Cody Wallace to fill the gap.

Center isn't the Steelers' only problem. Left tackle Kelvin Beachum was forced to miss practice with a leg injury, meaning Guy Whimper will likely play left tackle -- moving from his typical guard position. A total of four offensive lineman were forced out of the Thanksgiving game, and there aren't enough capable replacements if they can't play this week.

If that host of offensive injuries wasn't enough, the team could also be without running back Le'Veon Bell in Week 14. He suffered on concussion in the loss, and will need to pass the league's post-concussion protocol if he's able to play against the Miami Dolphins.

Baltimore didn't make it out of Thanksgiving unscathed either. The team's official website updated the status of Jimmy Smith who left the game with an apparent concussion. He was hurt on the play that resulted in a concussion to Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, and Smith will go through the post-concussion protocol as well. Head coach John Harbaugh spoke Monday on his status.

“Jimmy seems to be doing really well,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said during his Monday press conference. “He was doing well right after the game. He’s going through the concussion protocol now. That was what it was over the course of the game. But everything looks really, really good for Jimmy. He should be fine.”

The Cincinnati Bengals are holding a tenuous lead in the AFC North and host the Ravens in the final week of the season.