Safety Troy Polamalu could be available to play on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals after missing the majority of the Chiefs game following a hit he delivered early in the game.
"Troy hasn't had any concussion symptoms since we have been back here," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "All things are positive in terms of his potential participation this week. Obviously we'll continue to err on the side of caution."
Polamalu left the Steelers-Chiefs game during the first drive after he tackled Steve Maneri, a 290-pound tackle who was eligible on the play, following a one-yard reception.
"He'll have to pass a battery of tests in order to participate," said Tomlin. "We are comfortable at this juncture that will happen. We won't assume anything with his health or anyone else's."
Following the game Tomlin said Polamalu came out of the game because of "concussion-like" symptoms, but those were limited as the game wore on. Polamalu tried to convince Tomlin to put him back in the game, but the Steelers played it safe.
"He was asymptomatic relatively quickly and I am talking about Sunday night," said Tomlin. "If we are going to err, we are going to err on the side of caution when it comes to health, particularly from a head injury standpoint. I have no issue with that. We lean on the expert advice of our medical staff. Troy's been good. We anticipate it being a non-issue moving forward this week."
Polamalu has a history of concussions, including suffering symptoms earlier this season, but Tomlin said he doesn't know if that makes him more susceptible or not.
"I don't have the answer to that," said Tomlin. "I am no medical expert. I think maybe those guys don't have a definitive answer to that. Obviously we are sensitive to his concussion history and we are always going to exercise the necessary precaution when dealing with it."
