Steelers vs Patriots: 4 big concerns for this week's game

,Two weeks into the NFL season and the Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-1, the offense has zero identity and the defense has been historic for all the wrong reasons. No time to sit around and feel sorry for themselves, as the Steelers now travel to New England and go against the 1-1 Patriots. After a slow start in a Week One loss to the Raiders, the Patriots turned things around and beat the Miami Dolphins last week and now get to come back home with some momentum.

Here are the four things we are worried about heading into the week.

Injuries, injuries and more injuries

Pittsburgh’s defense is beyond banged up. Defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk and edge defender Alex Highsmith both went down with high ankle sprains, almost assuring they won’t play again until after the bye. There are no updates on the status of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. or defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, and we already know safety DeShon Elliott is out. Depth was already a question and this just makes things worse.

Will the Steelers give Jaylen Warren the keys to the run game?

It might be time for head coach Mike Tomlin to dig into his old ways when Le’Veon Bell was the feature back and just never let Jaylen Warren come off the field. Nothing from Kenneth Gainwell or Kaleb Johnson has given us any confidence so why not leave the one guy out there who runs with some heart?

Can Aaron Rodgers keep this up?

At 41 years old, there are only so many hits Aaron Rodgers can take. Last week the Patriots sacked Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa five times because his offensive line is terrible and despite him being far more mobile than Rodgers. Every time Rodgers drops back, we wince a little at the though of Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback.

How much do the coaches need to coach?

Grown NFL players shouldn’t need an excess of coaching to be motivated and make fundamental plays but clearly the Steelers aren’t those players. This group is not only lacking the ability to make routine plays routinely as Mike Tomlin says, but do not look like they are getting much from the Steelers coaching staff.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers vs Patriots: 4 big concerns for this week’s game

Source: Sports Yahoo