Deflategate and Tom Brady have dominated Patriots coverage for the last few months, and it is hard not to speculate on the fate of Brady's appeal when we consider the Steelers first game of the season. Let's put Brady aside and examine some other questions about the season opener.
This question has been asked many times during the offseason, but I'm asking it again since it is almost certain Bell will be serving his suspension for smoking dope with LeGarrette Blount last August. Blount will also be out for that game, so the Patriots will be facing a similar situation in terms of the run game, but Le'Veon Bell is a more critical cog in the machine for the Steelers.