PITTSBURGH — Coach Mike Tomlin had little choice but to release LeGarrette Blount after the halfback walked out on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night in Nashville before the game ended.

If Tomlin kept Blount, there might have been a players’ revolt.

“It’s probably a good thing that it happened,” center Maurkice Pouncey said. “At the end of the day, if it was a cancer, he ended up leaving on his own. That’s a blessing for us. At the end of the day, we’re good. We don’t need him.”

Le’Veon Bell, who carried 33 times for 204 yards against the Tennessee Titans, said he won’t shy away from the extra load expected to be placed on his shoulders with Blount gone.

“I’m not really worried about how many carries I get or anything, I just want to make sure we win the game,” Bell said. “So if I need 50 carries to win the game, I’m going to get it. If I only get eight carries and we win the game, I’m fine with that.”

Bell leads the AFC with 951 rushing yards and with 1,435 yards from scrimmage.