Week One of the NFL season was an exciting one, espcially for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh pulled off a huge overtime upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals and currently sit at 1-0. This week the team has its home opener against the hated New England Patriots. There’s a lot going on with this team already so let’s talk about some early causes for concern.
Outside linebacker depth
Head coach Mike Tomlin has already said T.J. Watt won’t play this week, which stretches the depth of the Steelers outside linebackers thin. Malik Reed is used to being a starter and used to coming in to fill in for a star so I am confident he will provide quality reps. The problem comes when Reed or Alex Highsmith comes off the field. Jamir Jones isn’t a bad player but it’s going to be a heavy workload for the starters.
Mitch Trubisky needs to play better
Mitch Trubisky didn’t have a great Steelers debut last Sunday. He was inaccurate, missed throws he shouldn’t have and left open receivers hanging with poor reads. Trubisky didn’t look confident when he went on the move and wasn’t able to make any sort of impact with his legs. A repeat performance in front of the home crowd will have 60,000 fans screaming for Kenny Pickett.
Starting an undrafted rookie running back
If Najee Harris cannot go, it would be undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren getting his first NFL start. The Patriots defense only allowed 25 yards rushing on 12 carries to Chase Edmonds last week and with how poorly the Steelers offensive line played, I’m not optimisitc.
