Steelers QB Dixon leaves with knee injury; Batch replaces him early in second quarter

Steelers QB Dixon hurts knee, replaced by Batch

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pittsburgh quarterback Dennis Dixon will have tests on his left knee after he got hurt in the Steelers’ 19-11 win over the Titans.

“He potentially could have come back in, handed the ball off to finish the game and so forth if that provides you any type of information,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said.

Dixon’s last play was a 7-yard run to set up Jeff Reed’s 36-yard field goal to start the second quarter. Charlie Batch came out for the next Steelers’ series and finished the game. Dixon jogged lightly on the sideline, then talked with trainers before walking to a cart. He got on the back and put a towel over his head and rode to the locker room, gently flexing his left knee.

He said he hurt his knee, the same one he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in while at Oregon, during his last series.

“It was one of my runs that I had. I planted wrong, and it didn’t feel right after that. Better safe than sorry,” Dixon said.

He was 4 of 6 for 18 yards when he left.

Dixon was starting in place of the suspended Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers cut Byron Leftwich on Saturday to clear space for an extra defensive lineman.