"If it looked as though Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu was hurting in the postseason, especially the Super Bowl, it's because he was.

Sources have confirmed to the Post-Gazette that Polamalu was playing with an injured Achilles tendon that robbed him of his trademark burst and explosiveness and was much worse than the Steelers let on. The injury occurred near the end of his 45-yard interception return for a touchdown Dec. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Despite the injury, Polamalu remained in the game and had a second interception in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. But he was never the same after that.

Before the Bengals game, Polamalu already was bothered by an injury to the soleus muscle, or calf area, of the same leg. But, on his interception runback, he pulled up just short of the goal line when he injured his Achilles, forcing him to dive for the pylon.

Polamalu missed two games after the injury before returning for the season finale against the Cleveland Browns. In that game, Polamalu had an interception on the first series -- his team-high seventh of the season -- that led to a quick touchdown and began a 41-9 rout of the Browns."