Ryan Shazier's absence leaves Pittsburgh in trouble

The matter of Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan Shazier’s health in the wake of a devastating spinal injury is, of course, far more important than wins and losses. But in the narrowest possible terms, Shazier’s absence means the Steelers’ defense is suddenly without a center, and suddenly extraordinarily vulnerable. Pittsburgh won 39-38, but only on a final-minute field goal.

Take a look at these stats: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 506 yards and three touchdowns, completing 44 of 66 passes. Le’Veon Bell ran for two touchdowns and caught another. Antonio Brown caught 213 yards’ worth of passes.

Seeing that, you’d assume that the Steelers dissected the Ravens. And you’d be very, very wrong. Why? Because after a slow start, Baltimore’s offense throttled Pittsburgh from every conceivable angle. Joe Flacco looked — dare we say it — kind of elite, completing 20 of 35 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Alex Collins continued to prove a revelation, carrying the ball 18 yards for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Javorius Allen scored touchdowns on two of his six carries.

Shazier’s influence hung over the entire team, with players and coaches alike sporting Shazier’s number 50 and players paying tribute to Shazier before, during, and after the game. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated after the game that the team had FaceTimed Shazier from the hospital after the game to tell him he’d be getting both a game ball and an AFC North Champions hat and T-shirt. Beyond that, when, or if, Shazier will return to football remains an open question.

The Steelers have more immediate concerns. They’ve locked up a playoff berth, only the second team in the NFL (after Philadelphia) to do so. Next week, they’ll play their most important game of the year, against the New England Patriots with the No. 1 seed in the AFC on the line. The Patriots have a habit of finding a team’s weak spot and exploiting it, and it’s not hard to see what Pittsburgh’s is.

The Steelers are using Shazier’s injury as motivation, as well they should. The question now is whether the lift from playing for Shazier is enough to compensate for the on-field challenge of playing without him.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.