What the Pittsburgh Steelers need to do in order to defeat the Patriots

The Steelers will win if defensively…

Pittsburgh’s defense is going to have to be perfect. Make no mistake; the Patriots were not at their best when they traveled to the Steel City several months ago. Pittsburgh took advantage of their disarray that included 14 Patriot penalties for 106 yards.

At home, the Patriots average 32.16 points in Gillette Stadium against the Steelers all time. Conversely, Pittsburgh’s offense only averages 21.5 points.

The defense will have to be one step ahead of Tom Brady and co. That is a task much more complicated than not. However, the Steelers are a different unit on that side of the ball.

The Steelers went into free agency and acquired two key free agents (Nelson & Barron) and drafted Devin Bush to give their defense a much-needed boost. A defense that last season looked to have depth issues in multiple areas showed the exact opposite in the preseason. Yes, it might’ve been only preseason competition, but the defensive depth looked fantastic even for preseason standards.

The Pittsburgh will have to do a few things defensively to beat the Patriots—all of which play hand in hand. The Steelers defense must: win the first down snap, win the third-down conversion battle, and pressure Tom Brady consistently.

The Patriots are going to put the Steelers defense on their heels early. They test the line with run plays against Pittsburgh’s sub-packages, quick throws against their base 3-4 set, and then run an up-tempo offense to hold off the Steelers pass rush. Pittsburgh will do themselves a favor by winning the first down. If they force a play of 2 yards or less in gained yards, they put the series in their advantage.

The Patriots in their past two losses to the Steelers only converted 6 third downs in 20 attempts. Pittsburgh in their previous three losses to the Patriots saw Tom Brady convert 21 times on 38 attempts. That is a considerable difference. The key is creating a third a long situation—which begins on first down.

If you can put the Patriots in a 3rd and long (you could argue 7+ yards) you’re looking at your defense being able to focus on the pass rush. Anything less than 6 yards can be easily converted with a quick pass or run.

The Steelers have recorded only 3 sacks in the past two match-ups, but last year the pressure was on Brady early and often. If you put Brady on the ground, you’re going to create an advantage that breaks down even the greatest of quarterbacks.

Sunday night will not be a make or break game. There will still be 15 other games. However, Pittsburgh will undoubtedly be looking to avoid their fifth 0-1 start under Coach Mike Tomlin. What better way to do it than to take down the defending champions in their own home?

Here We Go Steelers!