Steelers' Le'Veon Bell: Carried groin injury into Sunday's loss

Bell's groin was bothering him prior to Sunday's game against the Patriots, when he was forced into an early exit after further aggravating the ailment, Barry Wilner of The Associated Press reports.

Analysis:

Bell admitted after Sunday's defeat that he'd been internally micromanaging his injury in the buildup to Pittsburgh's AFC championship game appearance, when he thought he'd be able to play through the discomfort he'd been experiencing. However, after aggravating the problem on a tackle he took early on, he estimated he was about 50 percent healthy, resulting his removal from the contest after just six carries. With the Steelers' season now over, Bell should have plenty of time to return to full health this offseason, but the revelation that his groin was an issue prior to Sunday at least provides some extra context regarding his early exit.