Writers picks week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots
The Predictions
The following is the spreadsheet we will be tracking to follow our records, and predicted outcomes each game on the Steelers 2019 schedule. I will continue to update records as the season progresses.
| Still Curtain Analysts/ Weeks | Week 1- Patriots | Post Week 1 Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Jaggi | 27-21, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Edward Hunt | 31-24, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Ryan Sakamoto | 27-21, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Dan Gilliam | 24-17, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Brandon King | 28-24, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Eric Hassel | 20-24, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Mike Morris | 38-35, Steelers | 0-0 | |
| Wyatt K | 23-20, Steelers | 0-0 | |
| Mike O’Brien | 27-20, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Ryan Pawloski | 27-21, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Jobe Morrison | 27-20, Steelers | 0-0 | |
| J. Perry Kelly | 34-13, Patriots | 0-0 | |
| Christian Brown | 24-20, Steelers | 0-0 |
Predictions explained
Along with these predictions, my fellow contributors were also asked to give a brief summary of how they came to their conclusions.
“The Steelers get stuck with an unfavorable week one matchup on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions. Ben Roethlisberger has never won in Foxborough, and the Steelers don’t exactly start the season firing on all cylinders. Pittsburgh had six turnovers in week one against Cleveland last year. While I don’t see a repeat of that performance, I do see the Patriots taking this one at home.” – Tommy Jaggi
“I am going to go full confidence in Pittsburgh. Why? This team is different. They beat the Patriots last year without James Conner on offense and with huge question marks at ILB and CB (could argue safety as well.) It will ultimately come down to the Steelers defense and Steelers wide receivers. I believe both will step up.”- Jobe Morrison
“The Steelers have had trouble playing in Foxborough in the Brady & Belichick era. The Steelers will be playing in prime time, and the Patriots will be hungry after losing week 15 of 2018. I think the Patriots will get revenge, but it will be a one possession game.”- Edward Hunt
“The Steelers have always struggled in Foxborough, but more importantly Brady has thrived up there. This Steelers group is better than last year’s team that beat him, but I don’t think they can get the win there in this week 1 matchup.” – Ryan Pawloski
“Bad matchups all around lead to an opening week disaster. The Pats fullback and power running game will force Steelers DBs to play more closely and support the run. This will make Vince Williams play more than projected, giving Brady coverage weaknesses to exploit and setting up play-action passing. On Defense, Belichick no longer has AB to bracket.”- James Kelly
“The Steelers will keep the game close, but, ultimately, will come up a short to open the season. This is a tough opening game. If they play well, despite losing the game, it will give them confidence going into the home opener. If they don’t play well, the home opener could be a loss as well.”- Eric Hassel
“Steelers will look good but ultimately not good enough. The defense will make some mistakes but look like a good overall unit with Bush making plays in the middle.” –Dan Gilliam
“The Steelers have not done well in Foxborough for a while now so it will not be a surprise to see the Steelers start 0-1. New England is ready to defend their title and proves they are still a contender on their banner night.” –Brandon King
“Hate to bet against the Steelers and obviously will root for them through and through, but the Patriots have had our number over the past few years, and I could see some growing pains early for us.”- Mike O’Brien
. dark. Next
Sunday Night Football will be a special night nonetheless. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots will leave it all out there, both hungry for their first victory. Nine contributors anticipate the Patriots to win, while only four see the Steelers coming out victorious. What’ your prediction?