A lot has changed since the New England Patriots were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14 of the 2018 season. Here are six things that Patriots fans should know about the Steelers before the two most winningest NFL franchises meet up Sunday night to kick off the 2019 season.
1. The Steelers struggle at Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium has not been friendly to Pittsburgh during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. The last time the Steelers left Foxboro victorious came in a 2008 Week 13 33-10 win when Matt Cassel was New England’s starting quarterback in replace of an injured Brady. In fact, Pittsburgh has never won at Gillette against a healthy Brady. The numbers Brady has posted against the Steelers in Foxboro are nothing short of ridiculous.
Pittsburgh is also no stranger to being caught up amidst a Patriots Super Bowl celebration and banner unveiling, having lost their season opener at Gillette in 2002 and in 2015. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told Steelers reporters Wednesday that he looks forward to attending the celebration Sunday night.
2. Ben Roethlisberger might still be getting better
The Steelers have a new supporting cast around Roethlisberger this season, with the departures of running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown during free agency. However, there shouldn’t be that much of a drop-off in terms of talent on the offensive side of the ball. Entering their third seasons in the NFL, lead running back James Conner and top wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster are both coming off career years.
Roethlisberger has shown no signs of slowing down and is coming off a career year last season. The 37-year-old quarterback in his 15th season in the NFL set career highs in just about every major statistical category; completing 452 of his 672 pass attempts, racking up 5,129 passing yards, and throwing 34 touchdown completions.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster is the top wideout now that Antonio Brown is gone
Although Patriots standout cornerback Stephon Gilmore said “we’ll see” if JuJu Smith-Schuster is ready to be treated as a no. 1 wide receiver, it is clear that he will be a massive piece to Pittsburgh’s offense this season and for years to come.
All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown helped the Steelers be a formidable offense, but due to his off-the-field shenanigans, Pittsburgh traded Brown walk this offseason. With news circulating Wednesday morning that Brown is creating issues for his new team in the Oakland Raiders, the Steelers are more than glad that they can now focus on building Smith-Schuster as a weapon that should be feared by opposing defenses.
In 2018, even with Brown around, Smith-Schuster hauled in 111 receptions, 1,427 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. As impressive as those numbers are, there’s a great chance that the University of Southern California product sees an increase in all-around productivity in 2019.
4. James Conner has been a bell-cow back
With Bell sitting out last year due to contract controversy, Conner took full advantage of being Pittsburgh’s no. 1 running back for the majority of the 2018 season. Conner didn’t suit up in the Steelers’ Week 15 battle against New England at Heinz Field, so Patriots fans may not be fully aware of how talented Conner is.
A third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Conner started the 2018 season fast out of the gates, rushing for at least 100 yards in five games and scoring two touchdowns in four of those performances. However, Conner missed four late season games due to ankle and leg injuries.
With one of the top offensive lines in all the NFL heading into 2019, Conner should see plenty of running room, and it would not be a surprise to see the third-year running back top 1,000 rushing yards.
Jaylen Samuels took the starting running back reins in Pittsburgh’s 17-10 Week 15 victory against the Patriots last December, running for 142 yards on 19 rushes.
5. The Steelers have no need to worry about Gronk
The Steelers must have rejoiced when they heard that Rob Gronkowski decided to retire in the off-season with no imminent plans of returning to the NFL. The former New England tight end was a monster to most opposing defenses around the league, but some of Gronkowski’s biggest games came against Pittsburgh.
One of Gronkowski’s most memorable games against the Steelers came in Week 15 of the 2017 when the Patriots won 27-24:
Simply said, Gronkowski dominated the Steelers defense throughout his career. Whatever Pittsburgh tried to do to slow down the future Hall of Famer, Gronkowski found ways to overcome those hurdles. In seven career games against the Steelers, Gronkowski recorded 41 receptions, 685 yards and eight touchdowns.
Thankfully for the Steelers, they won’t have to worry about Gronkowski this time around.
6. Slowing down the Patriots offense
With Tom Brady still looking to create chemistry with a handful of new receivers in New England’s offensive system, the Pittsburgh defense should find it easier than in the past to slow him and the rest of the Patriots offense down.
The Steelers carry a stout seven featuring Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, and TJ Watt. With New England having some uncertainties along its offensive line in the aftermath of starting center David Andrews being placed on injured reserve, Heyward, Tuitt and Watt will look to disrupt Brady in the pocket, similarly to how they did in their win last December. Brady had major problems finding any comfort in Week 15 last December, making uncharacteristic pass attempts, including throwing a redzone interception in the fourth quarter.
In addition, Pittsburgh made moves in free agency and during the draft in attempt to bolster their defense, including signing linebacker Mark Barron and cornerback Steven Nelson, while drafting linebacker Devin Bush in the first round.
