Sports

Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith's injury reportedly will not land him on injured reserve. But it will keep him out for at least Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Head coach Mike Tomlin ruled Highsmith out during his Tuesday press conference.

"[H]e has an ankle sprain. He can be characterized as out as well," Tomlin said.

Highsmith has recorded a sack and three quarterback hits so far in 2025.

Defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk has also been ruled out with a high-ankle sprain. Tomlin noted that injury will keep him out for multiple weeks.

Safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and defenive tackle Derrick Harmon are all improving, but would be considered questionable, Tomlin said. With Harmon, Tomlin said the club will be a little more cautious when it comes to playing him because it will be his first regular-season action.

Additionally, linebacker Patrick Queen (oblique) and defensive back Darius Slay (shoulder) have new injuries from Sunday’s loss to Seattle, but should be able to play.

It’s only been two weeks, but Daniel Jones has been one of the league’s best performers at quarterback so far in the 2025 season.

The Colts have not punted in their first two games, as the club has failed to score on just two of their possessions — not including one end-of-half scenario. Both of those empty drives came from a turnover on downs.

What is Jones doing well?

“I think the consistency that he brings, his preparation, and it's coming to life on the field on Sundays. He works at it,” head coach Shane Steichen said in his Monday news conference. “I think he's doing a really nice job of going through his reads. If the first read is not there, he's getting to his second, third reads. The offensive line is doing a hell of a job for him. I think he's communicating well with the receivers throughout the week — different looks that could come up, route adjustments, all those different things throughout the course of a week of preparation. Then to see it happen on Sundays has been good, so we’ve got to continue that.”

And now that Jones has seen some success with Indianapolis, Steichen feels like the quarterback’s confidence can continue to grow.

“I think when you start playing at a high level, obviously your confidence grows and builds, not with just Daniel, with any player,” Steichen said. “And obviously, we want to continue that trend each and every week, and he's been doing a hell of a job. So, we’ve got to continue that this week. The preparation is going to be a big part of it.”

Jones has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 588 yards with two touchdowns and no picks, averaging a league-leading 9.3 yards per attempt. He’s also rushed for 28 yards with three touchdowns.

Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey was a hero in Sunday's overtime win over the Giants and his future with the team was a topic of conversation for team owner Jerry Jones on Tuesday.

Aubrey is in the final year of his contract and his 64-yard field goal to send the game to overtime was the latest in a string of big kicks he has made over the last three years. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones was asked if the team is working to sign Aubrey to a contract extension.

"Well, he certainly is coming," Jones said. "We'll be looking at that, probably have had communications since the kick. He's certainly in the future."

Those comments suggest it's just a matter of time before Aubrey has a new deal in Dallas, but that also seemed to be the case with Micah Parsons before he was traded to Green Bay a few weeks ago. The Aubrey deal is a much smaller matter than what Parsons was looking for, though, and that should help make it easier for everyone to find common ground.