Lawrence Timmons broke his hand, still had 17 tackles

Jay Cutler (6) throws a pass in front of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons (94) during the second half at Heinz Field. The Bears won the game, 40-23. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers star LB Lawrence Timmons was one of the most impressive players this week, as he recorded 17 tackles in a key victory over the rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Timmons now has 51 tackles and four passes defended, including an interception, on the season, and his play on defense was a huge key to a Steelers victory. But what makes his feat more impressive is the fact that he played through the game with a broken hand.

The Steelers official site’s Bob Labriola reports that head coach Mike Tomlin stated Timmons broke his hand later on in the game (Tomlin said the injury happened in either the late third or early fourth quarter) but played through the pain. That’s incredibly impressive, and Timmons actually plans on playing in this week’s game against the Oakland Raiders despite the broke hand. However, the Steelers should allow him to take a breather this week against the Raiders and instead allow him to rest up so that he is healthy enough to play in Week 9 against the New England Patriots; they will definitely need to be at full strength for that one, even if the Patriots couldn’t push past the New York Jets.

Tomlin added, “Lawrence Timmons broke his left hand. That’s been casted. He is ready to go. That happened late in the third or early in the fourth quarter of the game. He was able to finish. We fixed it. He has full mobility in all of his fingers, but it has been secured with a cast.”

We’ll see if Timmons, who is undoubtedly a leader and extremely important player to the Steelers from a talent perspective, is able to play this week, but it’s more prudent for the Steelers to allow him to rest this week with the broken hand. He’s tough enough to play through out, but it’s just a bad idea.

And wow. What an amazing game from Lawrence Timmons.

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