What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

AFCCG: Steelers at Patriots Discussion (1 Viewer)

Should be a good game, I think the turnover battle will be huge as it often is in games of this magnitude. Big Ben seems to make a handful of ill-advised passes every game, Pats will need to take advantage.  11th AFC title game for Brady, that is crazy. He didn't play particularly well Saturday night and the Pats can't afford to let an offense like the Steelers dominate time of possession like the Texans did early on or they will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm sure the NFL and networks are glad that this is the matchup guaranteeing one of these teams ends up in Houston and are hoping GB wins in the NFC. Historically the Steelers have not faired well in Foxboro but that doesn't mean they can't win. The one huge edge I give the Pats is coaching and I don't see that being arguable. I'm going to say the team that wins the t.o. battle wins the game.

Assuming Bennett and Hogan are GTG I don't see Brady struggling against this D like he did with Houston as Pittsburgh isn't on that level.  My biggest concern for the Pats is their recent ball security has been bad. That to me would be the biggest factor in a loss. Pats 29- Steelers 26 To all the actual , non bandwagon Steeler fans with ties to PA good luck. Should be a great game by two of the best run franchises in the league.

 
Cookiemonster said:
I'm worried that we game plan to stop Brady, and Belichick once again outsmarts the Pitt coach by running every time they go dime on 11 personnel.  Once again, the Pitt coaching doesn't adjust until 8:00 left in the 4th, down by 14.  I'm not worried about the players or the talent, I'm worried about the coaching and play calling.
Click to expand...
That's why as much as I loved LeBeau I was glad to see him finally retire.  Hopefully Keith Butler has figured out that bringing only 4 rushers and having DBs giving 10 yard cushions is not a formula for success against Brady. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just keep feeding the beast and let Ben manage the game.  If the Pats sell out to stop Bell, then Ben will just need to step up.

 
Baloney Sandwich said:
Should be a good game, I think the turnover battle will be huge as it often is in games of this magnitude. Big Ben seems to make a handful of ill-advised passes every game, Pats will need to take advantage.  11th AFC title game for Brady, that is crazy. He didn't play particularly well Saturday night and the Pats can't afford to let an offense like the Steelers dominate time of possession like the Texans did early on or they will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole.
Click to expand...
IMO, the Pats were not expecting the coverage schemes HOU was throwing at them. There were times NE called one of their patented WR screens, shallow crosses, or rub route slants but the Texans took that away. Those plays are designed to have TB get rid of the ball in 2 seconds. With the initial play and secondary read taken away, the blocking couldn't contain the rush by that point, and it became a broken pass play. The Texans left downfield deep, so Brady took shots down the field and connected (or drew a flag) a number of times, but that required a lot more time to be able to allow the receivers to try to get open.

There was a coaching, game planning, and adjustment problem for NE. Maybe PIT can come up with some exotic schemes to confuse Brady. 

 
Crystalsteam99 said:
I'm sure it drops to 5,especially if Green practices all week and is cleared to play. Pats will win,but it's going to be a close game. Have fun losing $$$$,Pats will cover the spread. 
Click to expand...
Oh, well the oracle has spoken! Surely you're the one willing to take that money then? $100 on PIT +6? Neutral 3rd party to hold the paypal/venmo until Sunday night? 

 
Antonio Brown mugging a selfie video like a 13yo girl while broadcasting a private locker-room meeting to the world.

Tomlin on the patriots:
"“When you get to this point in the journey, not a lot needs to be said,” Tomlin says on the video. “Let’s say very little moving forward. Let’s start our preparations. We spotted those #######s a day and a half. They played yesterday, our game got moved to tonight. We gonna touch down at 4 o’clock in the ####### morning. So be it — we’ll be ready for their ###.”

:lmao:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
IMO, the Pats were not expecting the coverage schemes HOU was throwing at them. There were times NE called one of their patented WR screens, shallow crosses, or rub route slants but the Texans took that away. Those plays are designed to have TB get rid of the ball in 2 seconds. With the initial play and secondary read taken away, the blocking couldn't contain the rush by that point, and it became a broken pass play. The Texans left downfield deep, so Brady took shots down the field and connected (or drew a flag) a number of times, but that required a lot more time to be able to allow the receivers to try to get open.

There was a coaching, game planning, and adjustment problem for NE. Maybe PIT can come up with some exotic schemes to confuse Brady. 
Click to expand...
The Steelers' don't have the personnel to play NE the way the Texans did. Their pass rush has been great down the stretch, but they really don't have athletes like Clowney / Mercilus, and their DBs are nowhere near good enough to hold up in man coverage like Houston's were for the most part. Pittsburgh's best bet is to try to control the game as much as possible with their offense, specifically with Bell, and take a close game into the 4th quarter. I don't see the Steeler's secondary holding up against Brady well at all.

 
[icon] said:
Antonio Brown mugging a selfie video like a 13yo girl while broadcasting a private locker-room meeting to the world.

Tomlin on the patriots:
"“When you get to this point in the journey, not a lot needs to be said,” Tomlin says on the video. “Let’s say very little moving forward. Let’s start our preparations. We spotted those #######s a day and a half. They played yesterday, our game got moved to tonight. We gonna touch down at 4 o’clock in the ####### morning. So be it — we’ll be ready for their ###.”

:lmao:
Click to expand...
Non-factor but what an idiot.  

 
Coeur de Lion said:
The Steelers' don't have the personnel to play NE the way the Texans did. Their pass rush has been great down the stretch, but they really don't have athletes like Clowney / Mercilus, and their DBs are nowhere near good enough to hold up in man coverage like Houston's were for the most part. Pittsburgh's best bet is to try to control the game as much as possible with their offense, specifically with Bell, and take a close game into the 4th quarter. I don't see the Steeler's secondary holding up against Brady well at all.
Click to expand...
Secondary will hold up if they can get lots of pressure on the QB like they have been for the second half of the season.  Unlike previous matchups against Brady, I think they'll be able to make him a little more uncomfortable in this matchup.  However, if Ben plays like he did against KC they have 0 shot at winning.  If Ben even plays an average game and doesn't turn it over I think the Steelers will win.

 
Congrats to the Steelers for taking out the second best team in the AFC.

Really took everything they had to squeak out the win vs the Alex Smith led Chiefs.

... but they're up against a very different animal this week.

 
[icon] said:
Antonio Brown mugging a selfie video like a 13yo girl while broadcasting a private locker-room meeting to the world.

Tomlin on the patriots:
"“When you get to this point in the journey, not a lot needs to be said,” Tomlin says on the video. “Let’s say very little moving forward. Let’s start our preparations. We spotted those #######s a day and a half. They played yesterday, our game got moved to tonight. We gonna touch down at 4 o’clock in the ####### morning. So be it — we’ll be ready for their ###.”

:lmao:
Click to expand...
:lol:  I'll never understand why these people can't control their urges to post stuff on social media. 

As a Pats fan, I can't wait for this game. Going to be a close one. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bossman said:
Really took everything they had to squeak out the win vs the Alex Smith led Chiefs.
Click to expand...
The Steelers dominated last night everywhere except the scoreboard. The out-gained KC 389 - 227, won on special teams, won the turnover battle, and controlled time of possession. Aside from the red zone struggles, they were absolutely and clearly the much better team last night. They haven't struggled to score points like that all year; if they punch in one or two of those the game is a snoozer in the second half.

That said, they do need to step it up a few notches to hang with NE in Foxboro.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
The Steelers' don't have the personnel to play NE the way the Texans did. Their pass rush has been great down the stretch, but they really don't have athletes like Clowney / Mercilus, and their DBs are nowhere near good enough to hold up in man coverage like Houston's were for the most part. Pittsburgh's best bet is to try to control the game as much as possible with their offense, specifically with Bell, and take a close game into the 4th quarter. I don't see the Steeler's secondary holding up against Brady well at all.
Click to expand...
Dupree is as good an athlete as Clowney.  Shazier is a better athlete than Mercilus.  They have the athletes, they need the scheme.

 
It's going to be a close game...I'm going to say Pats 24 Steelers 21. It's home and the Pats o-line should keep The Steelers at bay. They pull it out in the end on the way to winning super bowl 51!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cjw_55106 said:
No dog in this fight, but I don't see the Steelers keeping it close. 
Click to expand...
When these two teams played October 23rd, the Pats won 27-16.  It was a 4-point game in the 4th quarter.  Steelers outgained the Pats 375-362 and had the ball for over 32 minutes.  Pats had 21 first downs to the Steelers' 17.  The game was in no way a blowout.

Now, that game was in Pittsburgh, this is a playoff game in Foxboro.  Big difference.  However, the Pats had Gronkowski in that game (and he made a big play in the 3rd quarter to break open what was a 14-13 game at that point.)  The Steelers also had Landry Jones at QB for all 60 minutes.

Point being, I think if you're looking for an ###-whooping here, I don't think it will happen.  I expect it to be close.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Yeah, that's true -- but they Shazier isn't really a designated pass rusher most of the time. Dupree has been a beast lately.
Click to expand...
He isn't, but I expect we'll see quite a bit of Shazier rushing this weekend.  Brady has had a ton of success vs PIT in the past getting the ball out fast and I don't see why they wouldn't employ that strategy again.  I think we're going to see a lot of exotic rush schemes looking to utilize Timmons, Shazier, Davis, Gay, and Burns to get to the QB.

 
Evilgrin 72 said:
He isn't, but I expect we'll see quite a bit of Shazier rushing this weekend.  Brady has had a ton of success vs PIT in the past getting the ball out fast and I don't see why they wouldn't employ that strategy again.  I think we're going to see a lot of exotic rush schemes looking to utilize Timmons, Shazier, Davis, Gay, and Burns to get to the QB.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they definitely need to do scheme-wise to get pressure and make Brady uncomfortable quickly. I think Tuitt needs to play a big role too, that pressure from in between the tackles is the best way to disrupt Brady's timing. I'm not worried about Blount and the running game much at all -- but Brady has been death to us for his entire career, just moving the chains at will just spreading the ball around with the short option routes to everyone.

 
Coeur de Lion said:
Yeah, they definitely need to do scheme-wise to get pressure and make Brady uncomfortable quickly. I think Tuitt needs to play a big role too, that pressure from in between the tackles is the best way to disrupt Brady's timing. I'm not worried about Blount and the running game much at all -- but Brady has been death to us for his entire career, just moving the chains at will just spreading the ball around with the short option routes to everyone.
Click to expand...
This is a game in which I REALLY wish Cam Heyward was able to come back.

 
Bossman said:
Congrats to the Steelers for taking out the second best team in the AFC.

Really took everything they had to squeak out the win vs the Alex Smith led Chiefs.

... but they're up against a very different animal this week.
Click to expand...
Lol you watched the game last night thinking the Chiefs were the 2nd best team in the AFC.  I'm glad Patriots fans are so confident.  Next week is going to be fun.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
The Steelers beat them twice and controlled the play in both games.  But go ahead and use your rankings to convince yourself that they're a better team than the Steelers.  I'll use my eyes.   :shrug:  
Click to expand...
So, Sagarin, and the analysts at 538 and Pro Football Focus don't have eyes? What about Football Outsiders who also had KC > PIT? 

Or are your eyes better than their eyes? 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
[icon] said:
So, Sagarin, and the analysts at 538 and Pro Football Focus don't have eyes? 

Or are your eyes better than their eyes? 
Click to expand...
Lol I'm not sure why you're being so snarky here.  I don't know what goes into those rankings and if they account for how the teams are currently playing.  The Steelers defense has been a different beast for the 2nd half of the year.  Their offense is completely healthy right now.  If you think the current Chiefs are a better team than the current Steelers, have at it. Whatever helps you sleep better at night.......

 
Last edited by a moderator:
fred_1_15301 said:
Lol I'm not sure why you're being so snarky here.  I don't know what goes into those rankings and if they account for how the teams are currently playing.  The Steelers defense has been a different beast for the 2nd half of the year.  Their offense is completely healthy right now.  If you think the current Chiefs are a better team than the current Steelers, have at it. Whatever helps you sleep better at night.......
Click to expand...
You're right, I'm sure those silly analysts don't factor recent play in at all. Silly vegas probably forgot to factor that into the line, too. They really should really hire some folks who know what they're doing out there. :lol:

I'm glad the Steelers won... this was the matchup I wanted. But let's slow down with the arrogance... Any Given Sunday, and all that.  

 

 
[icon] said:
You're right, I'm sure those silly analysts don't factor recent play in at all. Silly vegas probably forgot to factor that into the line, too. They really should really hire some folks who know what they're doing out there. :lol:

I'm glad the Steelers won... this was the matchup I wanted. But let's slow down with the arrogance... Any Given Sunday, and all that.  

 
Click to expand...
The line last night favored the Chiefs by 1 or 2 (varying throughout the week).  3 points for home field.  I agree with Vegas. 

 
fred_1_15301 said:
Secondary will hold up if they can get lots of pressure on the QB like they have been for the second half of the season.  Unlike previous matchups against Brady, I think they'll be able to make him a little more uncomfortable in this matchup.  However, if Ben plays like he did against KC they have 0 shot at winning.  If Ben even plays an average game and doesn't turn it over I think the Steelers will win.
Click to expand...
Matt Moore went 29-36 in the wildcard game. 

Brady has a history of carving up this defense.

Pats take it.

 
Got a good sized wager for me (about 4u) on Steelers +6 this morning. Also tacked on about 2u on both dogs teased 6pts ( PIT +12 / GB +10). 

I don't think any of these four teams are capable of consistently dominating in these matchups (any given sunday factor aside). 

 
The Steelers can win this game, but the Pats definitely have the better odds for a couple reasons:

  1. Their red zone Defense is incredible. They might be able to replicate what KC did and keep Pitt out of the end zone.
  2. If Brady has time, he'll beat every team, every time.
  3. Blount can pound the rock, and Lewis can provide splash plays similar to Le'veon in the passing game.
Reasons the Steelers can win:

  1. NE is highly rated against the Run, but they haven't played a team as good at running as Pitt in over 6 weeks.
  2. Hitting the QB. Brady isn't as good after he's been pummeled, it's how the Ravens and Broncos beat the Pats in recent years. Surprising some, the Steelers have lead the league in sacks since week 11. They're hot at the right time and Dupree/Harrison are both playing their best ball of the year. If they can hit Brady early and often, they have a chance of rattling him.
  3. They need to chip offensive players at the beginning of plays. This week Harrison did it to Kelce, and it's worked against Peyton and Brady in the past. Lots of their throws are timing based and if you chip their TEs and WRs, then that timing is throw off by just enough to cause the QB to hold it longer in the pocket. This leads to more chances for QB hits.
What will probably happen?  The Steelers will start with the ball and drive right down the field looking amazing. They'll settle for a FG. Then Brady will score 2 TDs to get a sizable lead.  Then the Steelers will have a splash play and a drive that ends in a TD (14-10 Pats). Then there will be a back and forth with some scoring until NE gets either a big special teams play or a turnover. Then the Pats go up more (28 - 17). Big Ben orchestrates some mastery to catch up (31-31). Brady has the ball in his hands with 2 minutes left. Leads a drive to score as time expires.

 
[icon] said:
You're right, I'm sure those silly analysts don't factor recent play in at all. Silly vegas probably forgot to factor that into the line, too. They really should really hire some folks who know what they're doing out there. :lol:

I'm glad the Steelers won... this was the matchup I wanted. But let's slow down with the arrogance... Any Given Sunday, and all that.  

 
Click to expand...
Vegas did factor it in, to be fair.  They opened the line at a pick 'em and the game was at Arrowhead, a notoriously difficult road venue.  To me, that says they thought the Steelers were a better team on a neutral field.  The public/sharps bet it down to KC -2.

All that said, the Steelers are definitely better than the Chiefs, or at the very least, they match up well with the Chiefs.  They played twice, home and away, won both, and statistically dominated both (which is what these advanced metrics sites use, per play efficiency.)  These analytics sites are great, but they're not infallible.

And with THAT said, I don't think there's any room for arrogance coming into this game.  I feel like the Steelers have a good shot, but if someone put a gun to my head and told me to pick one team to win outright or I'd be shot, I'm taking New England.

 
I wanted the Lions to sign James Harrison when the Steelers let him go the first time 5-6 years ago to add toughness and change the culture of the Lions.  I remember then my friends saying "He is too old to play LB and rush the passer"  I don`t think Alex Smith felt he wa too old last night...the guy is amazing at soon to be 39.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
People thinking the line should be bigger are out of their mind. I think it should be tighter. Pats put up 34 cause they faced a bottom 4 QB that is entirely incapable of sustaining drives. Pittsburgh will likely win T.O.P. this game. Likewise, you can't expect Pitt with that offense to be that pathetic two weeks in a row. I think this is going to be won by 3 or less. Idk who wins.

 
As a NE fan I don't feel great heading into this game, but think home field + coaching could be the difference.

Both these teams seem to be struggling a bit in the redzone. While ATL/GB could be a "cleaner" game, I see this one being a bit more clunky with more stalls and mistakes. Maybe a 23-20 or 20-16 type game.

One other thing in NE's favor: They just had a season full of mistakes in one game. There is zero chance of complacency and Bill B. has a ton of content to work with this week to absolutely hammer this team in practice. 

And as an aside, A. Brown having zero self awareness doesn't hurt.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Joe Bryant
  • Poll Poll
If You're The Pittsburgh GM, Who Would You Rather Have As Steelers QB? - Rudolph or Rodgers?
3 4 5
Replies
202
Views
6K
Joe Bryant
Joe Bryant
Joe Bryant
A Forum For Home Leagues?
2 3
Replies
140
Views
4K
SteelBunz
S
kupcho1
  • Poll Poll
Eight Steelers Nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
Replies
4
Views
405
timschochet
timschochet

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top