The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots in week one. Here is how I see the game going for the Steelers.
The Steelers and Patriots are both teams that are known for getting off to slow starts now and again. New England started the 2018 season with a win against the Texans but went on to lose back-to-back games against Jacksonville and Detriot.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, opened the season with a tie against the Browns – a game in which they turned the ball over six times. In their first four games of 2018, the Steelers were quite pathetic. They started the season with a 1-2-1 record. Pittsburgh could have been 1-3 if it wasn’t for T.J. Watt blocking a field goal in overtime against the Browns.
With that in mind, let’s look at the positives and negatives of the Steelers matchup against New England:
Positives:
The Steelers are now potentially distraction-free. They no longer have to worry about locker room antics or division on the team, and some players have come out and said the morale is better than it has ever been. James Conner was quoted this offseason, calling his teammates a ‘band of brothers.‘
Pittsburgh’s defense also looks ready to take a leap in 2019. The additions of Devin Bush and Steven Nelson could play a huge factor from the gate. They could help keep the Patriots defense in check during this contest.
Negatives:
The Patriots still have perhaps the greatest coach in all of the sports, and one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. Though they often start the season off slow, it will essentially be a preparation battle between Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin.
Tom Brady is 5-0 with 18 TD and 0 INT in 5 career home games against the #Steelers. #Patriots
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 23, 2017
Ben Roethlisberger has never won a game in Foxborough, and Tom Brady has 18 touchdowns and 0 interceptions when the Steelers play in New England. For some reason or another, Pittsburgh has been ice cold in Foxborough, and they desperately need to turn things around.
Prediction:
The Steelers are almost sure to be a better team defensively this year with a few key additions and a lot of added speed. However, Ben Roethlisberger had 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles in his first action of 2018, and he hasn’t had much time in the preseason to shake the rust off.
Meanwhile, Brady has owned the Steelers at home, and Belichick is a mastermind when it comes to in-game adjustments. Most betting lines have the Steelers between 5.5-6.5 point underdogs. Unfortunately, I think that will hold true to this outcome.
Score prediction: 21-27 Patriots
It’s hard to say exactly which way this game will go until we see these players take the field, and it’s possible that this could turn into a shootout. While the Steelers defense should be improved this year, it could take time for their new players to get acclimated to the scheme. It’s unfortunate that their first test comes on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions.