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Q: The Steelers (and a lot of other teams in the NFL) seem to be struggling with more than the average number of injuries one normally sees during a season. Has there been some inherent change to practices or games that is increasing the number of injuries, or is it just bad luck?

Anthony Flynn, Huntington Beach, Calif.

BOUCHETTE: The Steelers lost three starters to injuries, two before the season even began. Right guard Darnell Stapleton had knee surgery in August that ended his season and Lawrence Timmons had a high ankle sprain in the preseason that kept him out of the opener. Troy Polamalu came out of the first game with a knee sprain that may sideline him for several more weeks. Timmons returned to play Sunday in Chicago and should start this Sunday in Cincinnati. Everyone else is relatively healthy, but when you lose a player such as Polamalu, it makes it seem more critical. Last year, the Steelers lost their top two running backs, Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, in games 3-4. No, they did nothing different in their training or practices that I noticed. Most injuries are just bad luck and often a team that happens to avoid them for the most part wins a Super Bowl.