Steelers Get ‘Good News’ on Alex Highsmith Injury Ahead of Week 3

Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith left the Week 2 loss against the Seattle Seahawks with an injury, and there was a mostly positive update on that developing situation on Monday, September 15.

“Steelers LB Alex Highsmith, who left Sunday’s game with what Mike Tomlin called a high-ankle sprain, is not likely to be placed on IR, sources say,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport relayed on X. Adding: “That’s good news, an indication that it’s not as serious as first believed. IR would knock him out four games.”

So, while Highsmith may still be unavailable for Week 3 against the New England Patriots, there is reason to believe that he won’t miss too much time.

Considering Highsmith was seen in a “walking boot” after the defeat, and Rapoport himself noted a four-to-six week recovery timeline was possible, it would seem the Steelers managed to dodge a bullet on this one.

Alex Highsmith’s Contract Called Into Question After Latest Injury With Steelers

Highsmith is earning $17 million per year after signing a $68 million contract in 2023. And Steelers Nation is beginning to question if the production and availability are worth the price tag.

“Alex Highsmith got a contract extension in July of 2023. His sack total was then cut in half in 2023. He missed six games in 2024. [And] he missed all of camp in 2025 and is now injured in the second week of the season,” Josh Rowntree of 937 The Fan posted on the evening of September 14.

Fans also chimed in on social media, calling for more Nick Herbig usage and a contract restructure of Highsmith.

It’s true that Highsmith has yet to recapture the magic of his 14.5-sack campaign in 2022. Of course, this season directly led to the aforementioned contract extension.

Highsmith has managed a combined 13.0 sacks over the past two regular seasons, with 1.0 sack in each of the Steelers’ past two playoff appearances and another 1.0 sack to begin the 2025 campaign.

The veteran starter did add 9 tackles for a loss in just 11 starts last year, with 13 QB hits and 1 forced fumble. He also got off to a hot start this season, according to Pro Football Focus, leading all edge rushers with a minimum of 20% snaps played in “PRP.”

Per PFF, PRP is a “formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer.”

Highsmith is also currently tied for seventh among all NFL edge rushers in pass-rush win-rate after two games.

Steelers Need More From Defense in Week 3

Over the first two weeks of football, it’s surprisingly been the Steelers’ defense that’s come up a bit short, allowing 30-plus points in each outing.

Now, obviously it all works hand-in-hand, and offensive and special teams struggles sometimes lead to defensive letdowns, but even so, this is not what head coach Mike Tomlin had in mind when he went out and acquired Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and more.

Pittsburgh is still without first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, and the Highsmith injury adds another potential problem, but the Steelers need more from their defense if they have serious Super Bowl aspirations.

This was never supposed to be a weekly shootout led by Aaron Rodgers, it was supposed to be a methodical and steady offense carried by an elite defense. As of now, that’s not what anyone has witnessed.

Inside the Williams Sisters’ Private Struggles Behind Tennis Glory

Former world number one Venus Williams and her sister Serena Williams have opened up about their relationship. The two Williams sisters dominated women’s tennis for a good part of two decades. Serena was the one who took the lead on the court and won many accolades.

She finished her career with 23 Grand Slam titles, most by a women’s player in the Open era. On the other hand, with Serena winning so many majors in her career, it almost seems that people have forgotten 

Venus did incredibly well on the court as well. Venus, who is still an active tennis player, has won seven major titles in her career.

 

 

Both sisters faced off against each other 31 times in professional tennis as well. Serena held the edge with 19 wins, whereas Venus ended up winning 12 times. They competed many times in the final of the Grand Slams as well, and Serena was the clear winner in those contests.

Venus and Serena recently featured in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where they both discussed their relationship off the court. Venus shed light on how the two Williams sisters remained competitive throughout their careers on the court and highlighted that one of the primary reasons was their upbringing. “We don’t necessarily coddle each other,” said Venus. “We weren’t coddled in life. And we want to give that sort of tough love, not only to each other, but that we had to give to ourselves. Life is very real. So the message has to be real.”

Two ultimate champions

Serena then added that despite being sisters, both had to keep their secrets from each other, largely because they were both competitors on the court as well. “As close as we are, we had to keep so many things distant because of our jobs,” said Serena. “As much as she’s my sister, she’s also my opponent, and you can’t be as open as you want to be. So this a real opportunity to do something that we’ve been trying to do, and also just a discovery thing as well.”

Venus recently returned to the court after taking a break of more than one year. She secured a shocking win over America’s Peyton Stearns in the round of 32 of the DC Open in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Her journey in the competition ended in the second round, where she lost to Magdalena Frech of Poland. Venus then appeared in the Cincinnati Open, where she lost in the first round to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets.

After that, Venus featured in the US Open in three different categories. In the mixed doubles, she partnered with Reilly Opelka, and the two suffered a defeat in the round of 16 to the pair of Russia’s Andrey Rublev and the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova. In the doubles category, Venus partnered with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez as the two produced some incredible performances.

 

They managed to go on and play in the quarterfinal, where they eventually lost to the pair of America’s Taylor Townsend and the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-2. Venus featured in the singles category of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years, and she suffered a defeat in the first round to Muchova in a hard-fought contest with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

 

Talking about her experience of playing at a Grand Slam after a long time, Venus stated that while leaving the court, she had a smile and that she was ‘delightful’ with how everything went on the court. “It was delightful,” said Venus. “Usually, if I had lost a match, I walked off the court, and I forced a smile. It was super fake. But it was real this time. When I left the court, I smiled. I was happy. I enjoyed the moment.”

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