PITTSBURGH — With the Steelers fast running out of games and his left knee still not healed, star safety Troy Polamalu isn’t certain if he will be back this season.
Polamalu is hopeful of playing again, but he said Tuesday that there is no definitive date for his return.
Polamalu’s latest injury, to his posterior cruciate ligament, was initially expected to be less severe than the anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of the Steelers’ second through fifth games. But he won’t play Thursday night in Cleveland, the fourth consecutive game he’s missed.
The Steelers have 10 days off after Cleveland until their next game, and there is a chance the five-time Pro Bowler could be ready to play Dec. 20 against Green Bay. However, Polamalu hasn’t been cleared to practice, much less play.
Asked what it will take for him to play again this season, Polamalu said: “A whole lot of feeling. A whole lot of prayers.”
Polamalu did not say when he is scheduled to be examined again.
Steelers receiver Hines Ward has made relatively fast comebacks from knee injuries by using a hyperbaric chamber, a device that increases the amount of oxygen circulating in the body and supposedly hastens injury recovery. Polamalu said he’s also used the device, as well as other remedies.
“I’ve exercised all legal options,” he said.
The Steelers have allowed more points (99) in the fourth quarter than all but two other teams, losing leads in the final quarter during five of their six losses.
The Steelers are 4-0 when Polamalu is on the field for more than a handful of plays and 2-6 when he isn’t. They have not lost a game when he has been on the field in the fourth quarter.
“When we lose and I’m out there, I can always point a finger at myself,” he said. “Not being out there . . . It almost feels worse.”
