BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Bet your house on the Pats -3.
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New England at Pittsburgh. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter BigSteelThrill
- Start date
bostonfred
Footballguy
This is a huge game for you guys.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Nah. We sit in a deep zone, rush 3-or-4 with little pressure and watch Brady complete 44 of 60. No adjustments or anything all game long.
Overrated, both in terms of weekly matchup and playoff importance.
This is a vulnerable Pats team, and HFA doesn't make them anything resembling a slam dunk. In particular, they'd be vulnerable to a couple AFC West teams and maybe Jacksonville, but they've shown they can lay an egg against much less talented teams, too.
But still, this Steeler team simply isn't built to compete with them. They lack the talent or physicality to play man against the wideouts, the scheme or talent to bring pressure up the middle without blitzing, and the athleticism to do ANYTHING with Gronk now that Shazier is gone. They're pinning 100% of their week 15 hopes on a lucky confluence of drops, fumbles, and Brady mistakes. Seems like a long-odds cocktail.
Yet Pittsburgh could, IMO, quite easily find themselves slotting into #2 in the AFC and still find themselves in nice playoff position. Their SB hopes don't hinge on home field. NE ought to throttle them anywhere, and I don't see Heinz as an important factor. NE is just a matchup nightmare for them. Their hopes hinge instead on seeing one of the handful of better equipped matchups for NE hand Bill & Tom their hats, then going into the subsequent game as a clear fave.
Very plausible, IMO, since this is far from a dominant Pats team.
Still a fun game, but not the season-defining one being spun in the hype.
This is a vulnerable Pats team, and HFA doesn't make them anything resembling a slam dunk. In particular, they'd be vulnerable to a couple AFC West teams and maybe Jacksonville, but they've shown they can lay an egg against much less talented teams, too.
But still, this Steeler team simply isn't built to compete with them. They lack the talent or physicality to play man against the wideouts, the scheme or talent to bring pressure up the middle without blitzing, and the athleticism to do ANYTHING with Gronk now that Shazier is gone. They're pinning 100% of their week 15 hopes on a lucky confluence of drops, fumbles, and Brady mistakes. Seems like a long-odds cocktail.
Yet Pittsburgh could, IMO, quite easily find themselves slotting into #2 in the AFC and still find themselves in nice playoff position. Their SB hopes don't hinge on home field. NE ought to throttle them anywhere, and I don't see Heinz as an important factor. NE is just a matchup nightmare for them. Their hopes hinge instead on seeing one of the handful of better equipped matchups for NE hand Bill & Tom their hats, then going into the subsequent game as a clear fave.
Very plausible, IMO, since this is far from a dominant Pats team.
Still a fun game, but not the season-defining one being spun in the hype.
Last edited by a moderator:
NeverEnough
Footballguy
Neither team will be in the SB. Defense wins championships.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
This is where I’m at. The game is about matchups and the Steelers don’t match up well against the Pats offense. Now let’s just see whether the Pats D will be able to hold the Steelers offense to FGs.
steelers1080
Footballguy
The only way the Steelers win is by winning time of possession by a long shot, and getting lucky with a few drops on 3rd down.
If their pass rush can somehow get to Brady early, right up the middle, that would also be a game changer. Heyward, Hargrave, and Tuitt have the potential to destroy an O-line, but need to do it on a more consistent basis, and able to do it on a 3-man rush.
If their pass rush can somehow get to Brady early, right up the middle, that would also be a game changer. Heyward, Hargrave, and Tuitt have the potential to destroy an O-line, but need to do it on a more consistent basis, and able to do it on a 3-man rush.
Man In The Box
Footballguy
I just heard on the radio that Brady is 22/0 TD/INT vs. Tomlin coached Steelers teams. I find that unbelievably amazing.
Don't agree, it's as big of a regular season game as the NFL has seen in years.
It's true the Steelers don't match up well with NE and they are kind of the Steelers kryptonite but not so much the Steelers can't win a game at home with that offense. What is a lot more difficult than that is beating NE twice or beating them in NE in January and that is why this game is huge because other than the obvious I think a Steeler win today would go a long way towards helping them NOT face NE in the playoffs. And this is because the Jags would likely face NE and they matchup tremendously well against NE.
As a Steeler fan this is why this game is so huge, it's not to be home against NE in January, to me a win this week will give them their best chance to not face NE in the playoffs and that's been their path to the SB when they've made it, having someone else handle NE for them.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
Yep. It's not a rivalry if one team wins almost all of the games.
The Patriots biggest rivals of the Brady/Belichick era have been the Ravens and Colts ('02-10)/Broncos ('12-15).
Elevencents
Footballguy
Don’t see this being a game. NE by double digits.
I think not having Edelman will be biggest impact on making the dink and dunk game not as easy as they've made it look in the past.
in2win
Footballguy
That was really Pitts fault running the zone D and not making any adjustments. While Edelman was great finding the soft spots Brandy still has WRs and RBs that can fill in admirably and do the same.
If somehow Tomlin continues to use the soft zone Brady will continue to pick Pittsburgh apart
Anarchy99
Footballguy
A lot of folks have looked to that Miami game as a reflection on the state of the Patriots overall. NE and Brady haven't fared very well playing the Dolphins on the road. They won Super Bowls in three seasons when they played horribly in Miami and looked way out of sync, losing by an average of between 11-12 points per game.
I also love the talk of Miami showing the rest of the league the blueprint on how to throttle NE. Well, that template was written long ago. Control the clock and the line of scrimmage, make Brady feel uncomfortable, don't turn the ball over, and have your players play better than they have the rest of the season. It sounds easy, but clearly that hasn't happened very often.
Say what you will but they don't have a WR on that team remotely as good in the short game as Edelman or Welker before him. They'll need to use the RB's in that role Sunday and they are good at it but not as good as Edelman or as in sync with Brady as Edelman.
Steeler
Footballguy
How has Tomlin tried to make it a rivalry?
BTW, I agree it's not a rivalry - the Steelers haven't kept up their end of the bargain,
Steeler
Footballguy
I think the Pats offense will be fine against the Steelers (I know, I know - I'm going way out on a limb there 
). I see Burkhead and Lewis (one or both) having big games. Also, I read somewhere yesterday that Cooks is the type of WR (or at least he runs the types of routes) that are giving the Steelers trouble at the moment. So I'm sure they will run the ball and dink/dunk with the RBs and then they will certainly take shots downfield to Cooks. The only chance the Steelers D has is for the D line playing out of their minds - Tuitt, Hargrave, and Heyward have to be awesome to even slow them down.
Hopefully the Steelers offense can continue to stay hot and win possession downs to stay on the field and keep Brady (and the Steelers D) on the sidelines. The Steelers will also have to score TDs and not settle for FGs. The Steelers O will have to win this game or they will never beat NE. The Steelers O is basically at full strength so it's now or never.
). I see Burkhead and Lewis (one or both) having big games. Also, I read somewhere yesterday that Cooks is the type of WR (or at least he runs the types of routes) that are giving the Steelers trouble at the moment. So I'm sure they will run the ball and dink/dunk with the RBs and then they will certainly take shots downfield to Cooks. The only chance the Steelers D has is for the D line playing out of their minds - Tuitt, Hargrave, and Heyward have to be awesome to even slow them down.Hopefully the Steelers offense can continue to stay hot and win possession downs to stay on the field and keep Brady (and the Steelers D) on the sidelines. The Steelers will also have to score TDs and not settle for FGs. The Steelers O will have to win this game or they will never beat NE. The Steelers O is basically at full strength so it's now or never.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Prediction? PAIN!
Bossman
Footballguy
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Insoxicated
Bossman
Footballguy
NE hasn't scored 42 yet this season because they've yet to play the Shazeer-less Steelers.NE hasn’t scored 42 yet this season and you expect them to do it against PIT?
and PIT defense sucked BEFORE they lost Shazeer.
BAL with Joe Flacco just put up 38 on them last week. You think NE /Brady will put up less?
Please don't delete your post ...
Man In The Box
Footballguy
I hate both of these teams equally, but I can't wait to watch this game. I think it lives up to the hype. Patsies give the Steelers a taste of their own medicine, and win on a 47 yard Gostkowski FG at the gun.
NE 37
PIT 35
NE 37
PIT 35
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
If you believe the Steelers D “sucked” before the loss of Shazier, you need to get your head examined. With a healthy Shazier and Haden, this is one of the better defenses in football. You may want to check the results from earlier in the year.NE hasn't scored 42 yet this season because they've yet to play the Shazeer-less Steelers.
and PIT defense sucked BEFORE they lost Shazeer.
BAL with Joe Flacco just put up 38 on them last week. You think NE /Brady will put up less?
Please don't delete your post ...
Bossman
Footballguy
I've already had my head x-rated.
Please point out which high powered offense PIT shut down this year.
They've played mostly buttercups all season long.
JAX put up 30 at Heinz field.
The Brett Hundley led Packers put up 28 on the Shazeer led defense in PIT.
Patriots are a different animal than both those teams and MIA just lit a fire under their balloon knot.
PIT's success rides completely on Ben, AB, and Bell.
Ghost Rider
Footballguy
While I do think NE will put up lots of points today, saying that Jax puts up 30 points against them, as if it is a knock on the defense, doesn't make sense when you consider that 14 of the Jags points came off two pick-6's. The defense gave up 16 points that day. It is not their fault they lost that game (although the drive early in the 4th when the Jags ran it down their throats and took off half of the 4th Q clock was bad).
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
You're the one who claimed that they "sucked". It doesn't matter who they played. They were ranked as one of the top defenses in football for most of the year and actually carried the offense for the first half of the season. Lol at citing that Jacksonville game. Instead of looking at the final score, take a look at what actually happened in that game. I'll give you the Packers game. That was probably their worst performance of the year. To say that the defense has "sucked" is a huge stretch (to put it lightly).
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Currently the Steelers D is 6th in total yds against, 7th in total points against, 2nd in sacks, 2nd in pass D and actually 9th in rushing D. Those are numbers that reflect a pretty good defense. Not great but definitely good.
identikit
Footballguy
Bossman
Footballguy
All you are doing is pointing out is how pathetic the teams are that they faced.
Tell us how these opponents ranked offensively. CLE, IND, CHI, CIN, TEN, DET.
26th, Last, 30th, 24th, (I dunno ... just guessing)
PIT defense hasn't had a performance against a top ranked offense.
Not that these are the 2007 Patriots ... but they're still at a level well above these other teams that PIT has faced.
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
It's honestly not even relevant. You made an assertion that the defense "sucked". I'm simply refuting that assertion. Listing the teams who they played makes no difference. There is no factual data to support your claim that they "suck". They shut down bad teams which is exactly what a good defense is supposed to do. BTW, they also did pretty well against KC early in the season when they were firing on all cylinders.
Bossman
Footballguy
Well when NE puts up 42 on them today (as I predicted and was mocked for) you can come back in here and explain that it wasn't the Steelers sucky defense ... because 7 points were by NE's defense and PIT turnovers and the rain and the bad call by a ref and Tomlin peed down his leg and whatever other excuse.
hardcoredx
Footballguy
Relax, I don’t think home field willl matter. Neither team has a chance to beat an elite defense like Jacksonville. People were overrating Denver before the season and now those same people are underestimating the Jags. I fully expect the jags to be very to be the toughest out now looking like the Seahawks several years ago
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Ok you're changing the story now so I'm done. I don't know why it's so difficult for people to just admit when they're wrong. Good luck to your team today.
Man In The Box
Footballguy
Hogan is expected to sit. NE RB’s should catch 30 passes today.
need2know
Footballguy
They were good like 6 weeks ago. But have gotten seemingly worse every week. Brady owns the Steelers defense and today will be no different
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Fixed it for you. Before the GB game, they gave up more than 17 points twice all season. One was Ben's 5 int game against Jacksonville (in which 2 were actually Jax defensive TDs). The other was an overtime loss to Chicago. Currently without Shazier and Haden, the defense is pretty bad. But that wasn't the argument.
Franknbeans
Footballguy
as usual between these 2, the game will be won in the trenches
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
may need a streaming option. pms appreciated.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
got it. 
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
Hey congrats on the nail biter of a win. You were a bit off with your prediction. Hopefully you’ll at least admit that the 2 teams are fairly evenly matched.
Bossman
Footballguy
Indeed.
Steelers are better than I gave them credit for ... even without AB.
I was surprised to see them playing mostly man defense ... but it worked (other than Gronkowski).
fred_1_15301
Footballguy
They don’t have an answer for Gronk (few teams do) and I fear that will be their downfall if they meet again. I was just encouraged that the coaching staff made adjustments and didn’t play the same style of D that the Pats carve up every year. Great game and good luck the rest of the way. I actually think the AFC might be wide open this year. I could see Jax or KC beating either the Pats or Steelers.
