Aqib Talib may sit out through the bye week, miss tomorrow

The Patriots MVP, Aqib Talib, has been nursing a hip injury he sustained in a Week 6 win over the New Orleans Saints the past few weeks. While he's returned to practice, observers have reported that he hasn't been moving great, keeping the situation fluid that the corner could miss one more week and rest up during the bye week.

ESPNBoston:

Cornerback has missed the last two games with a hip injury and has been limited in practice. While he appears to be moving better in practice, perhaps the Patriots would lean toward keeping him out one more week heading into the bye with the big-picture in mind.

Even without Talib, it's likely the Patriots could contain the Steelers' offense, who don't have many weapons outside of Antonio Brown.

Brown already has 56 catches on the year for 630 yards and 2 TDs. All aren't far off from his career highs.

Even if Talib were to play, given his health situation, the team may limit his snaps enough that he wouldn't be the shut down guy on Brown anyway. It likely makes the most sense to rest Talib to ensure he's fully healthy for the stretch run of the season. Even if he is active, I'd expect the Patriots to use him more conservatively than they have in the beginning of the season.