Steelers vs. Broncos: Why Pittsburgh has cause for concern in Week 2

Offensive line woes

I wrote last week that the Steelers offensive line was in a precarious position. With new faces at three different positions, the unit was bound to go through some growing pains. While not elite like it had been in previous seasons, the unit only suffered further blows as the game went on. Zach Banner was lost for the season while backup turned starter Stephen Wisniewski was injured by the end of the game. On top of this, David DeCastro is still banged up and is far from guaranteed to suit up Sunday.

This had led to the offensive line shuffling around to accommodate for the early season injuries. Now, going into week two, there is a lot of uncertainty about who will start this week in place of the injured starters. While it seems all but certain that Chukwuma Okorafor gets the start at RT, questions along the interior still remain. If DeCastro can’t suit up, the Steelers could be forced to start rookie Kevin Dotson in his place.

We won’t know until Sunday how this group will look, but it will be different than the group they fielded last night. On a short week, this group will be expected to gel sooner than they may be able to. While the group has clear talent, the shifting of players so early could end up limiting the Steelers offense early in the season.

While the Steelers are once again entering the week as favorites to win, there are still quite a few concerns that could lead to an early-season loss. These concerns stem from both what the Steelers are lacking and what the Broncos excel at, but no matter what, these concerns will factor into the final outcome of the week two game.