Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu hurt his knee during their home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and it seems the Steelers will have to carry on without Polamalu, again this season, for more than one game.

Polamalu’s knee is again gaining headline news in Pittsburgh. This is the same knee he hurt in their season opener against the Tennessee Titans when he missed four games due to a torn MCL. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, Polamalu could only play one series against the Bengals as he missed the rest of the game. His impact was missed as Pittsburgh lost the game 18-12 to clearly the best team in the AFC North division.

Though Polamalu has been ruled out for the Steelers game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his coach sounded hopeful with the news he received from their medical staff.

“It’s a PCL strain as opposed to the last time, which was an MCL injury... happens to be to the same knee,” said Head Coach Mike Tomlin. “There is no setback in regards to his MCL.”

A relief for the Steelers who must now attempt to make the postseason via the wildcard route, Tomlin’s team would hope to get Polamalu back in time for their AFC North battle in Baltimore against the Ravens on Nov. 29.

As he strained his posterior ruciate ligament while tackling Bengals running back Cedric Benson, Polamalu’s impact on the secondary was missed in that game once he left and is always missed whenever he fails to play due to an injury. He is a leader not just on the defense, but the Pittsburgh team as a whole.

“He is in a great frame of mind. He feels really good, but we’re going to follow the expert advice that we get from our medical staff in terms of how we proceed,’ Tomlin said. “In the short term, we’re going to take it day to day. But [this is] really encouraging, more encouraging, I think, than was initially anticipated.”

Playing the Steelers makes a difference. So far the Steelers are 2-2 when Polamalu missed four games earlier this season; also they lost their game against the Bengals meaning, they have lost three games when Polamalu was either out or he played only a single series.

Last season, Polamalu played every single game and helped the Steelers to the Super Bowl. This year already he has missed out on four games and in 2007 he was out for five games due to injuries to the knee and rib.

A great leader for the Steelers, he has picked up three interceptions in only five appearances. Remember he had minimal play in two of those games. No wonder his coach and every Pittsburgh fan cannot wait for him to return to the field.