Saturday, third-year quarterback Dennis Dixon was placed on the injured reserve list by the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a left knee meniscus tear. This tear will end his 2010 NFL season.

25-year-old Dixon participated in the first two games of the season and was named the Steelers’ starter during that time while leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to their first two victories of the 2010 NFL season – paving the way to a solid season. On September 19 in Week 2, Dixon was injured during the first quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans, which resulted in a 19-11 win for the Steelers after Charlie Batch filled in for him on the field. The quarterback later had surgery that week and was expected to miss approximately six weeks for recovery.

For Sunday’s game (October 3) against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers have activated and signed Steve McLendon, defensive lineman, from their practice squad in order to replace Dixon on the Steelers’ active roster. He went undrafted and was then signed by the Steelers in April of 2009. His first time on the field in a real game for the NFL was in Week 2 of this year against the Titans.

Also for Sunday’s game, 35-year-old Charlie Batch is expected to start with 30-year-old Byron Leftwich as his backup. Prior to Leftwich spraining his left knee in the last game of the preseason, Batch was initially expected to be released by the Steelers; however, he was needed once that injury occurred to Leftwich.

If the Steelers can win today’s game against the Ravens, they will have their first 4-0 start in a remarkable 31 years – since the year 1979. In 1979, the Steelers went to claim the victory for its fourth Super Bowl.

Looking forward, with Dixon out of the game, the Steelers will likely keep Batch, who replaced Dixon when he was injured as well as Leftwich as simply backups due to the fact that on Monday, Ben Roethlisberger will return when his four-game suspension ends.

Related News

• NFL Reduces Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger Suspension to Four Games
• Pittsburgh Steelers to Lose Max Starks for a Month
• NFL Week 1: Falcons vs Steelers Odds and Predictions
• NFL Week 3: Tennessee Titans vs New York Giants Online Sportsbook odds and predictions
• NFL Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals vs Cleveland Browns Sportsbook odds and predictions