The new year came in much like the old went out for the Steelers: More key players lost to injuries. Out with the old, in with the less experienced.

This time, it was new starting left tackle Max Starks whose season ended prematurely. He replaced old starting tackle Marvel Smith, who is out after back surgery. After starting the past two games, Starks came down with a torn meniscus in his left knee early in Sunday's game at Baltimore.

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The game

• Matchup: Steelers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars.
• When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
• Where: Heinz Field.
• TV: WPXI.
• Favored: Jaguars by 1¹/₂.

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Also gone is special teams captain Clint Kriewaldt, who has had a persistent neck problem.

Trai Essex, a third-round draft choice in 2005 who has been inactive most of the season, likely will start for Starks as the second-to-last tackle standing. The only other healthy tackle is Willie Colon, who starts on the right side.

Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca also could move to start at tackle, coach Mike Tomlin said. But it's likely the coaching staff will try Essex first rather than disrupt two positions on the offensive line. Essex played well for three quarters after Starks' injury Sunday. Still, Tomlin said Faneca will take some practice snaps at left tackle this week.

"We don't necessarily want to show our hand, but those are options for us," Tomlin said.

The Steelers were in the process of signing tackle Jason Capizzi, who had been on Kansas City's practice squad since Nov. 9, to their 53-man roster for depth. Capizzi, listed as 6-9, 324 pounds, spent training camp with the Steelers as an undrafted rookie from IUP, where he transferred from Pitt. The Steelers released him Sept. 2 with the idea they would sign him to their practice squad, but he joined the New York Jets' practice squad and followed with stints on the practice squads of Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

The Steelers also will sign another player to replace Kriewaldt on their 53-man roster.

During the past month, the team has lost Smith, Starks, halfback Willie Parker and defensive end Aaron Smith to injuries. The Steelers have been without starting free safety Ryan Clark since the seventh game.

Tomlin wasn't about to dwell on any of them at his news conference yesterday.

"Injuries are a part of the game and when I say that, I believe it," he said. "We are not unlike any team. Any of the 12 teams that are in this field left still standing have had injury issues. They found ways to overcome it.

"Whoever hoists that Lombardi Trophy in a month or so will have had injury-history issues and will have found ways to overcome it. We don't dwell on that. That's as much of part of the game as blocking and tackling. The healthy guys play and the standard of expectation doesn't change."

They play, but how well?

Essex (6-4, 324) has had a spotty history with the Steelers. Drafted in the third round from Northwestern in 2005, he filled in well in four starts as a rookie at left tackle and two other games of considerable action in place of Smith, who had a nagging ankle injury that season.

But Essex played little last season and even less this year after he tumbled from the No. 3 tackle to No. 4; he played in just three games and did not dress for 12.

"Trai is the next guy up and the level of expectation will not change," Tomlin said. "Using common sense, because he is the third guy we've lined up at that spot this year, we have to do some things schematically to help him. We intend to do that, but we expect him to play winning football for us."

Tomlin said he liked some of the things he saw from Essex in Baltimore against a defense that did not lay a hand on backup quarterback Charlie Batch, who played in place of a rested Ben Roethlisberger.

"From an assignment standpoint, [Essex] was impressive," Tomlin said. "He stayed after people and those are the two key ingredients to being able to play at a winning level: Knowing what to and competing, and he did those."

As the protector of Roethlisberger's blind side, Essex will have the most important job on a line that has not done particularly well protecting him this season anyway -- his 47 sacks are second most in team history only to Cliff Stoudt's 51 in 1982.

"He is working," Tomlin said of Essex. "He has done some nice things since I have been here, but it hasn't been as good as some of the people that have been playing in front of him. That is me being brutally honest. That being said, we still expect him to answer the call and deliver this weekend."