Steelers hold several big advantages vs Patriots despite missing T.J. Watt

The Pittsburgh Steelers hold a competitive edge over the Patriots this week. Here’s why they must be able to capitalize in Week 2. 

I’m sure the Patriots are thrilled that they won’t have to worry about T.J. Watt derailing their offensive line this week. The Pittsburgh Steelers star was recently placed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury and is expected to return in approximately six weeks. Despite this significant blow to their defense, I still think Mike Tomlin’s team holds a competitive edge against New England in Week 2.

This is a team that the Steelers really used to struggle with (like most teams in the league did). The lethal combination of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick was too much for Pittsburgh to overcome more often than not. Those days are now in the rearview mirror.

While I certainly don’t want the Steelers to march into this contest underestimating Belichick, this Patriots team doesn’t have much star power and they aren’t exactly off to a great start. Here are some of the advantages Pittsburgh holds in Week 2:

Patriots QB Mac Jones isn’t healthy

Anytime a quarterback is dealing with ailments, it could have huge implications on the outcome of the game. After taking some big hits against the Dolphins in Week 1, Mac Jones has been dealing with back spasms. This isn’t enough to hold him out of the game, but it’s certainly enough to affect his preparation and make him feel uncomfortable on Sunday if the spasms still persist.

In addition to this, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network confirmed that Jones missed Thursday’s practice due to an illness. While it’s not believed to be COVID-related, Jones clearly doesn’t appear to be at full strength at this point in time.

Patriots have two consecutive road games to begin the season

Immediately after making the trip to Miami in Week 1, the Patriots are back on the road for the second straight week to begin the 2022 season. Unfortunately for them, they will go from facing one tough defense to another. Even with the absence of T.J. Watt, this defense should look sharp once again. Remarkably, New England is still favored in this contest, according to Fanduel Sportsbook, but consecutive road games can be hard on a team trying to find their groove.

Patriots offense was as bad as the Steelers in Week 1

There weren’t many teams around the league last week that put up a dud offensive performance quite as bad as the Pittsburgh Steelers did, but the Patriots were one of them. Against the Dolphins, New England was able to muster up just 7 points on the afternoon.

A Mac Jones-led offense averaged just 5.0 yards per play with 193 net passing yards after taking two sacks (similar to Trubisky and the Steelers last week), and Jones had a dismal QBR of just 9.7, via ESPN. Meanwhile, the Patriots rushing attack averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, and the offense had only 17 first downs (the Bengals had 32 vs Steelers in Week 1).

This game could prove to be a defensive struggle and one that ultimately comes down to the wire, but even without T.J. Watt this week, I do feel like the Pittsburgh Steelers hold several competitive advantages over the New England Patriots in Week 2.