Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith left Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a lower back injury. Smith went down on the field and was attended to by the training staff near the end of the third quarter. Smith eventually left the field slowly under his own power.
Steve Smith leaves Steelers game with lower back injury
Steve Smith left Thursday’s game against the Steelers due to a lower back injury.
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The extent of the injury is unknown at this point. Smith wasn’t immediately taken to the locker room, and was sitting on the bench on the sideline getting massaged by a trainer. Smith’s return was listed as questionable by the team.
Here’s a look at him going down in pain after a play:
Smith is Baltimore’s top playmaker, which isn’t saying much given the lack of playmakers the team has on offense. That doesn’t cheapen what Smith does on the field, as it actually makes him more valuable of a target for Joe Flacco. He’s an excellent receiver, even this late in his career, and came into Thursday’s game leading the team with 25 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
Behind Smith, there's not much. Rookie Breshad Perriman is listed as second on the depth chart, but he's been dealing with injuries. That leaves Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown as the top receivers behind Smith. Tight end Crockett Gillmore is second on the team with 151 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Aiken was already having a good game when Smith left due to the injury, with three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.
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