The New England Patriots’ offense will miss one of its cornerstone players when it squares off against the Pittsburgh Steelers later today: starting center David Andrews has been placed on season-ending injured reserve last weekend after blood clots were discovered in his lungs. Andrews’ absence puts career backup Ted Karras into the spotlight — the fourth-year man is expected to line up at center moving forward.
While Karras is an experienced player, he is naturally a downgrade from Andrews. That doesn’t mean he can’t hold his own, of course, but the Patriots still need to find a way to make him feel comfortable and get him into a rhythm early on — be it by having Tom Brady line up under center more often, calling a healthy mix of run and pass, or helping with double teams against Pittsburgh’s potent interior rushers.