Injured Groin Could Sideline Bettis

A strained groin could keep Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis out of Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Bettis, who ran for 1,431 yards despite sitting out most of the Steelers’ final two regular-season games, did not practice Wednesday and also is expected to sit out today’s workout.

“It’s a painful injury,” said Bettis, who grimaced Wednesday while pulling on a pair of sweatpants. “If you can run, OK, but if you can’t run, you can’t do anything. It’s going to be rough . . .”

Losing Bettis for their first road playoff game in three seasons would be a huge loss for the Steelers, who relied on their running game for an NFL-leading 45% of their offense. Pittsburgh’s passing offense is the worst-rated of the eight remaining playoff teams.

“I’m not putting any extra pressure on myself [to play],” Bettis said. “If I do, I’m doing a disservice to this team. They need me to be out there effective. If I’m out there hobbling and bouncing around and not able to get the job done, I’m taking away from this team and the offense.”

With Erric Pegram already out for the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle, Fred McAfee and rookie Jon Witman would replace Bettis.