Le'Veon Bell goes back to locker room with knee injury

Le'Veon Bell is not only one of the best backs in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers have little depth at tailback after Bell.

And now the Steelers are hoping that Bell's right knee is OK for the playoffs.

In the third quarter, Bell caught a pass out of the backfield and was tackled low by Bengals safety Reggie Nelson. Bell immediately grabbed his right knee after he went to the ground.

He was able to get off the field on his own, but he was examined on the trainer's table and then went back to the locker room. The Steelers said his return was doubtful. NBC reported that Bell had a hyper-extended knee, although he'll surely go through further tests to see if there was any ligament damage.

The Steelers will hope his injury isn't serious, because they would not the same team without him. Bell was named to the Pro Bowl and had 1,341 yards coming into Sunday night's game. Rookie Dri Archer would probably be next in line, but he's a small hybrid receiver/tailback, and nothing like what the Steelers would need in the playoffs. The Steelers could look for a free agent, but there's a reason those players aren't signed this late in the season. Earlier this season the Steelers cut LeGarrette Blount over Blount's tantrum over a lack of playing time in a Monday night game at Tennessee. Although the Steelers had plenty reason to make that move, it left them very thin at tailback.

If Bell has to miss some time in the playoffs it changes the entire outlook for the Steelers, who were poised to enter the postseason as one of the AFC's most dangerous teams.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab