Steelers Secondary Running on Fumes Ahead of Thursday Night Clash in Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into a short-week divisional rock fight with a secondary that looks like it was assembled at a yard sale.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh has officially ruled out cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns. To make matters worse, veteran Jalen Ramsey is officially listed as questionable.

"Adam Schefter reported via Brooke Pryor that Porter is out and Ramsey is questionable."

Porter is now missing his fourth straight game. Thursday Night Football is already a physical nightmare that asks guys to play a violent sport on three days of rest, but doing it without your top cover guys is just asking to get cooked on national television.

The Steelers are coming off a tight 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, while the Browns just scraped by the Carolina Panthers 21-18. Both teams are riding a little momentum, but Pittsburgh’s defensive depth chart is currently held together by athletic tape and pure vibes.

If you are looking at the betting board for this AFC North clash, Ramsey’s final status is the skeleton key. A questionable tag on a short week usually means a true game-time decision, and if he sits, Cleveland’s receivers are going to see a lot of unfamiliar faces lining up across from them.

We will find out exactly how thin this defense is about 90 minutes before kickoff. Until then, Pittsburgh fans might want to stretch out because Mike Tomlin might need a few of you to play nickel corner by the third quarter.