Last week the Pittsburgh Steelers fell flat against the Baltimore Ravens and all but ended their season. But with four more games left on the schedule, the first up being the Carolina Panthers. The two teams share the same record but the Panthers seem to be playing with more momentum and actually have something left to play for. Here is what we are worried about this week.
Quarterback, obviously
As of now, we don’t know what the status of Kenny Pickett is after entering the concussion protocol Sunday. Earlier in the season Pickett suffered a concussion but didn’t miss a start. This muddies up the practice reps and leaves some doubt as to who will be on the field on Sunday.
What is at stake?
These are two teams coming into this game from different directions. Both teams are 5-8 but the Steelers are in the basement of the AFC North and the Panthers are in second place in the NFC South just behind the 6-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina likes to run the football
Even after trading away Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers are still not afraid to run the football. Last week against the Seahawks, Carolina rushed the football 46 times for 223 yards. If the Steelers defense has a weakness, it’s stopping the run so look for the Panthers to take it right to them.
