Steelers Safety Damontae Kazee Ejected after Massive Hit

INDIANAPOLIS — Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was ejected from the team’s game against the Colts after a massive hit on wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Pittman is questionable to return after the hit, and he is being evaluated for a concussion. He joins running back Zack Moss similarly, as Moss is questionable to return after suffering an arm injury.

oh my fucking god pic.twitter.com/tjLzfIB5Ux

— alex (@highlightheaven) December 16, 2023

Pittman was down on the ground for a considerable amount of time before coming out of the game under his own power. Damontae Kazee was thrown out of the game for egregious unnecessary roughness, which is not new for him. He has been fined three separate times this season for unnecessary roughness. That means when the escalation gets to this point, it is very possible that more than just one ejection could be coming for Kazee. A suspension could be coming, but at the very least, a very hefty fine will be levied against him.

Considering both weapons for the Colts are massive components of their offense, those two being questionable means a lot to the game. But Minkah Fitzpatrick got injured one play later. That left the Steelers down to Trenton Thompson and Miles Killebrew at safety. Keanu Neal is on injured reserve with a rib injury and Elijah Riley is on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, so the team is short on players at safety.

It remains to be seen just how much of an impact this has for the Steelers going through the rest of the game, but Kazee’s veteran presence is at least key to their communication on the back end, even if Kazee has struggled in recent weeks since Fitzpatrick’s return to the lineup. If the Steelers want to win this game, they will need far more out of Thompson and Killebrew, who must play at a high level to maximize this defense’s opportunities against the Colts offense.