Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers are dealing with flu bug days before AFC Championship game

Published Jan. 19, 2017 6:12 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to be at their best if they want to go into Foxborough and beat the New England Patriots on Sunday. But it sounds like that’s currently far from the case.

According to ESPN, up to 15 people in the Steelers facility are dealing with a flu bug that has affected some of the players. Tight end Ladarius Green missed practice Thursday with an illness, and wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey was one of four players who sat out Wednesday.

Not the best news when you’re facing the Patriots, who are 16-3 at home in the playoffs since 2001, with a chance to go to the Super Bowl hanging in the balance.

At least head coach Mike Tomlin is keeping his sense of humor through all of this.

"I'm just thankful that I've stayed out of the line of fire," Tomlin told reporters Thursday. "We're not making excuses. There won't be. We'll be there, we'll be ready to play, this is just part of normal things that happen over the course of a season."

Some of the players appear to be bouncing back though. All four of the players who sat out Wednesday – Heyward-Bey, kicker Chris Boswell, center B.J. Finney and QB Zach Mettenberger – were back at practice Thursday.