In the great chess match that will take place Sunday at Heinz Field, Keith Butler will match wits against Tom Brady. It's not exactly Donald Byrne against Bobby Fischer, but it's important nonetheless.
The problem is, Butler will be doing so without his most important piece, Ryan Shazier, the one player capable of making plays at all levels of the field. Shazier, who suffered a season-ending back injury two weeks ago in Cincinnati, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. There was, however, some good news regarding his status Thursday.
Without their star inside linebacker the past two weeks -- Shazier was injured early in the first quarter -- the Steelers have struggled defensively, allowing 353 total yards against the Bengals and 413 to the Ravens last week. They have won both games and take an eight-game winning streak into Sunday's game at Heinz Field against New England (10-3). But to beat the Patriots, the Steelers know they need to be better defensively -- especially against the run.
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