No Bell hurts, but...

Archer can be deadly filling in as the dump off receiver target that Bell was. As for running and blocking, obviously not. I do however believe that the Steelers have their best chance to advance deep if and only if they are able to score oodles of points by throwing the football, so as shift to a passing attack while figuring out how to replace Bells blocking could yield us the best results. We definitely have the weapons to score through the air.

Also, we should be glad that it wasn't Ben that got hurt, or an offensive lineman. Obviously we want Bell to be healthy and playing, but I don't think the lack of running production due to his loss will hinder our ability. We will need to score fast and often, and the only way to do that is through the air.

I would expect to see Will Johnson a lot in passing situations as the blocker. He can catch and run as well.

We will be ok.

 

Agree...mostly. But Bell was an important weapon in our passing game beyond blocking. You don't just subtract 80 receptions and not miss him.

 

If Bell can't play this is a major blow to Steelers.

 

Long term yes, but I think they should be able to beat the Rats with or without Bell. It'll be a short week so it will probably be no practice and a game time decision. JMHO.