Derrick Harmon was drafted in the first round so the Pittsburgh Steelers could address their run-defense deficiencies that cropped up in December and January against the Baltimore Ravens.

It was one of the changes the organization made after the Ravens rushed for 299 yards in the wild-card playoff round, which followed a 220-yard performance late in the regular season.

Harmon was sidelined by a knee injury Sunday when the Buffalo Bills rushed for 249 yards, the most allowed by the Steelers at home in 50 years, and he won’t be available Sunday when the Steelers play the first of two meetings down the stretch against the Ravens.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Harmon will miss his second game in a row because of knee injury. It is not related to the knee injury that kept the rookie defensive tackle out of the lineup for the first two games of the season, with the Jets rushing for 182 yards in the opener.

Minus Harmon, the Steelers didn’t have an answer to stop the Bills running game. Fellow rookie Yahya Black played a season-high 46 snaps and had nine tackles, making it easily his most productive game. Fourth-year defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo played a season-high 23 snaps, and Brodric Martin-Rhodes logged 10 in his first appearance with the Steelers.

“You have to put a lot of lines in the water,” Tomlin said.

Logan Lee, inactive for the past seven games, could merit a look as the Steelers try to fix their defensive issues. Tomlin already has dealt with season-ending injuries to Dean Lowry, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Daniel Ekuale on the defensive line.

“You can’t run out of bigs,” Tomlin said. “If you run out of bigs in AFC North ball, you are running on the beach.”

Other injuries

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be questionable to practice early in the week with his left wrist fracture. Tomlin still expects Rodgers to start against the Ravens and said the quarterback’s rehabilitation this week could lead to him taking some snaps under center. Rodgers worked exclusively out of the pistol and shotgun formations, and he executed all his handoffs with his right hand.

Rodgers, who turned 42 on Tuesday, completed just 10 of 21 passes for 117 yards. He missed a series because of a bloody nose after he was hit from behind on the first play of the second half, resulting in a fumble that Buffalo returned for a touchdown.

The Steelers totaled a season-low 166 yards and possessed the ball for just 18 minutes.

“I feel good about what we can do offensively,” Tomlin said. “I don’t think (Rodgers) will be limited in any way. We’re going to do some things a little different to accommodate present circumstances. He was in the gun and pistol to minimize (the injury). It will be less of a discussion as the week wears on. He came out of the game from a wrist injury perspective in a good place.”

Tomlin said inside linebacker Patrick Queen (glute) and cornerback James Pierre (concussion) will be questionable to practice early in the week. Pierre’s inclusion will depend on how quickly he progresses through concussion protocol.

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