NFL Wild-Card Weekend will not feature Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell as his knee injury will keep him out of Saturday night's game with the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
Multiple outlets have reported that Bell, who hyperextended his right knee last Sunday night in Pittsburgh's 27-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, will not play when the Ravens visit Heinz Field for AFC Wild-Card playoff action Saturday.
Bell was hurt when his knee connected with Bengals safety Reggie Nelson during the game.
According to ESPN, undrafted rookie Josh Harris will get the start at running back while fellow rookie Dri Archer and Ben Tate could also see some touches. Tate signed with the Steelers on Tuesday and has gone through three practices with the team.
The Steelers went 11-5 this season and won the AFC North for the first time since 2010-11, which marked the last time the franchise won a playoff game when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl and lost to the Green Bay Packers.
This will also mark the first time since the 2010-11 campaign that Pittsburgh makes the tournament, though that year they fell to the Denver Broncos in wild-card action in overtime.
The Ravens (10-6) finished third in the division, but clinched a wild-card berth and enter the postseason for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2012.
These teams will play at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday and they split their previous two meetings this season. The Ravens notched a 26-6 Week 2 victory at home on Sept. 11 while the Steelers won their last meeting 43-23 at home in Week 9 on Nov. 2.
Bell, who was voted by his teammates as the Steelers MVP this season, led the AFC with 1,361 rushing yards off of 290 carries while adding eight touchdowns and also set a Steelers franchise record with 83 receptions for 854 yards while reaching the end zone three times.
As the Steelers look for their first playoff win in four years, they'll have to do so without one of their greatest weapons.
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