PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Andre Frazier was carted off the field on a stretcher with a spine injury after being hit while covering the opening kickoff of Monday night's game against Baltimore.
Each team lost a key starter to injury during the first half, with Steelers right guard Kendall Simmons leaving on a cart with a sore right ankle and Ravens running back Willis McGahee going down with a chest injury.
McGahee, who returned only to exit again in the second half, carried 12 times for 41 yards before getting hurt on a 1-yard gain late in the second quarter. McGahee is recovering from offseason arthroscopic knee surgery that limited him to 15 carries in Baltimore's first two games.
McGahee was twice forced to leave Baltimore's previous game against Cleveland because of eye injuries.
Steelers rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall, making his first NFL start for the injured Willie Parker, left the field on a cart after injuring his left shoulder on his first carry of the second half. Mendenhall, who had 30 yards on nine carries, was replaced by Carey Davis, a fullback who had only two carries coming into the game.
Frazier was running down the field when he was blocked by Haruki Nakamura of the Ravens and went down to the turf. Both Frazier and Nakamura are former University of Cincinnati players.
Frazier was moving his legs and his hands while trainers, as a precautionary move, removed his facemask before he was taken off the field.
This is Frazier's second stay with the Steelers after originally signing with them as a free agent in 2005. That season, he injured his right leg during the AFC championship game in Denver and missed the Super Bowl two weeks later. He also played briefly for the Bengals in 2006, but returned to the Steelers last year.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press