Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith questionable to return after going down with neck injury vs Patriots

Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith is questionable to return to Pittsburgh’s Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots after sustaining a neck injury in the first half.

He was seen heading to the medical tent for further evaluation. According to reports, the independent neurologist on hand was checking on him while in the tent. He has seen been taken to the locker room, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

According to Tom Pelissero, Highsmith was officially ruled out with the neck injury right before both teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime.

Highsmith is one of three OLBs on the Steelers’ roster with in-game experience heading into Thursday’s game. After TJ Watt was banged up in the first half as well — Pittsburgh can ill afford any more injuries within their defensive front. Nick Herbig has come in to replace him.

The Steelers will be sorely missing Highsmith, as not only do the Steelers trail the Patriots at halftime, they’re also missing out on 47 tackles and six sacks worth of production and pressure on New England quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Bill Belichick to serve as guest picker on ESPN College GameDay ahead of Army-Navy game

When ESPN’s College GameDay heads to Gillette Stadium for Saturday’s Army–Navy game, an NFL icon will be the guest picker. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will do the honors, ESPN announced Thursday.

College GameDay is making the trip to Foxborough for the game, which marks the first time Army and Navy will square off at the Patriots’ home stadium and the ninth time the show will be in attendance for the game. The Midshipmen will serve as the home team.

Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, leading the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles as part of his career. Overall, he has a 300-161 record during his storied career, joining Don Shula and George Halas as the only coaches to ever reach the 300-win mark.

But he also has ties to Navy. Although he was born in Nashville, Bill Belichick was raised in Annapolis and his father, Steve Belichick, served as an assistant at Navy from 1956-89. His father made quite an impact on him and, in a way, gave him a head start on his coaching career.

For background, the Army and Navy football programs are preparing for their 124th matchup in the history of their rivalry — a tradition dating back to 1890. The Midshipmen lead the all-time series 62-54-7, but the Black Knights have won five of the last seven games.