As Week 2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule arrives, the team is in an odd spot. Yes, they won their first game of the year, but they did it against a poor opponent in the Atlanta Falcons, who were missing their top two quarterbacks on the roster. As they hit the road to take on the New England Patriots, things won't be quite as easy.
The Steelers will have to have a much-improved effort if they want to reach a 2-0 record following their upcoming matchup.
New England heads into this game after struggling mightily in their opening performance against the Seattle Seahawks. They only produced 10 points, and Drake Maye has come under fire. The young quarterback has shown signs of error when it comes to protecting the football. Both teams showed they have their own warts in Week 1 and will try to remedy those as they prepare for battle.
The Steelers offense will be facing a Mike Vrabel-led defense, which will be no easy task to overcome. Pair that with Pittsburgh's clear offensive inefficiencies plus their defense going on autopilot against Cooper Rush, and they're kind of an unknown. This will be the first massive test for the Black and Gold this year, and many should assume they will have some of their problem areas pop up.
Still Curtain contributors predict a Week 2 performance filled with flaws for the Pittsburgh Steelers
"The Steelers escaped Week 1 with a home win over the Atlanta Falcons, but it wasn't pretty, and it required a T.J. Watt pick-six in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. While I don't expect the offense to struggle as much every week as they did in the opener, Pittsburgh draws a tough Week 2 road matchup against a Patriots team looking to redeem themselves after an ugly opener." - Tommy Jaggi (Patriots 23-17)
"Pittsburgh’s defense should create enough pressure to disrupt New England’s offense, while the Steelers build on their Week 1 showing. Expect another low-scoring game, with Pittsburgh pulling away late." - Allison Koehler (Steelers 20-16)
"The Steelers didn't inspire much confidence as they just squeaked by a bad Falcons team in week one. I hope the team comes in more aggressively against the reigning AFC Champs. That said, they need to prove it first, and I struggle to see the Patriots starting the season 0-2." - Andrew Falce (Patriots 26-24)
Final prediction has Steelers struggling to thrive against AFC foe
Score Prediction: Steelers 19, Patriots 24
You could say the Patriots looked so bad in Week 1 that it can't just be a one-off, but you could envision it that way. New England is an interesting team that clearly overachieved last season and made it to the Super Bowl. When it comes to the matchup between these two teams, it should lean in the Patriots' favor.
It will all depend on how the Steelers show up and if Maye becomes a turnover machine-like last year.
Pittsburgh's defense should be the better unit overall, but probably not by the wide margin some might believe. They are coming off a solid performance against the Falcons, but then again, Atlanta missed two field goals, meaning they should've had at least 19 points behind a Cooper Rush-led offense. That isn't a bad day at the office, but Maye will make them pay if something similar happens.
Most of this game will come down to whether the Steelers offense can hit on the plays they failed to accomplish against Atlanta. If they are able to do that, then the Black and Gold will be in for a massive Week 2 performance that'll quiet many doubters. With all that said, this won't be an easy hill for Pittsburgh to climb. There will be tough matchups for their offense this week against the Patriots.
At the end of the day, everyone should expect Maye to rebound against the Steelers. He might still commit a turnover or two during this game, which could keep the score tight, but New England appears to be the better team. Pittsburgh might've beaten them last season on the road, but it's hard to imagine that happening again. This could be a game where high hopes get a reality check.
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