The NFL regular season is finally upon us and this means we go behind enemy lines to get insight on the Pittsburgh Steelers latest opponent. The Steelers take on the hated New England Patriots and so we reached out to our friends at Patriots Wire to answer a few questions about this week’s game.
1. Rob Gronkowski was such a force in the Patriots passing offense for so long. What are the Patriots going to do this season to replace the production Gronkowski provided?
Rob Gronkowski is without a doubt a surefire future hall of famer. Replacing hall of famers is always hard. It’s even harder to expect the Patriots to get anywhere close to the amount of production from the tight end position that Gronk provided each season during his nine-year career.
With that said, I expect the Patriots will rely on the running attack more than they ever have during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. Starting running back Sony Mitchel is entering his second year, coming off a promising rookie year in which he ran for nearly 1,000 yards in just 13 games. With a history of knee problems, it will be vital for New England’s backup running backs, such as rookie Damien Harris, to be ready to go if Michel was to miss time.
James White provides a solid target out of the Patriots backfield for Brady to throw to and is one of the NFL’s top receiving backs. White was a key fixture to the New England offense last year, hauling in 87 receptions for 751 yards and seven touchdowns. Expect White to be busy once again this season.
2. if you were to give me one positional unit on the Patriots you are concerned with, what would it be and why?
The Patriots have some big names at the wide receiver position, but the pass-catching unit brings me the most concern compared to the rest of the team’s positional units.
Like you said in your first question, Rob Gronkowski is gone after being such an explosive playmaker in New England’s offense for nine years. Well, the Patriots really didn’t adjust the tight end position in the offseason in the aftermath of Gronk’s retirement, besides signing a couple veteran tight ends in Ben Watson, who is suspended for the first four games, Matt LaCosse, and Lance Kendricks. I do not expect for any of those players to have an impact in the passing game.
So that leaves Brady with a group of wide receivers, whom he really doesn’t have too much experience throwing to. Julian Edelman is poised to be the team’s top wide receiver, and his health is always a question mark, as he is prone to taking a beating as the Patriots slot receiver. On the outside, it appears that it will be Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas providing Brady his deep threats. I’m particularly interested in seeing how much value Thomas can bring to the New England offense, since he’s not too far removed from a couple big years in Denver.
3. Tom Brady lost to the Steelers last season but has enjoyed great success against the Steelers at home. Where would you rank the Steelers in terms of rivals for New England?
The Patriots and Steelers are the winningest franchises in NFL history, but I don’t rank Pittsburgh as one of New England’s top rivals.
As for now, I think you have to go with the Kansas City Chiefs as the top dog in terms of rivalries with the Patriots. Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Andy Reid create a trio that will cause trouble for New England for years to come. It would not be a surprise to see the two top teams in the AFC to meetup in late January with a ticket to the Super Bowl up for grabs.
After Kansas City, I would have to go with an AFC East foe in the Miami Dolphins. For some reason the Patriots always have troubles in Miami and now with former linebackers coach and defensive playcaller Brian Flores as the Dolphins head coach, the matchups between the two division rivals will be a lot more heated than in the past.
Then, I have two teams in the NFC, such as the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, as my next rivals for the Patriots.
So that leaves me with the Steelers as the fifth biggest rival for the Patriots. It’s always exciting when the two winningest teams in history meet up, especially considering that New England and Pittsburgh have two future hall of fame quarterbacks in Brady and Roethlisberger. If the two teams face off against each other in January, I’d move the Steelers higher up the Patriots’ top rivals list.
4. Coming off of a Super Bowl championship, where are expectations for the Patriots this season?
Despite all the question marks around the Patriots offense, I expect for New England to go back to the AFC Championship. It’s hard to bet against the Patriots. After the entire country and some fans in New England doubted the team would get back to the Super Bowl with such a slow start last season, Brady and Belichick reminded all of us how the Patriots became the Patriots – once you start doubting them, they will always find a way to be around in the end.
5. How much do you think playing the Steelers so early in the year helps or hinders the Patriots in this game? And what is your prediction?
Gillette Stadium will be rocking Sunday night. I think the Patriots will thrive with such a loud, pumped up crowd and beat the Steelers, 34-17.
To answer the first part of your question, I think it will be super helpful to play the Steelers in the first game of the season. Pittsburgh played New England very tough in their Week 15 17-10 victory at Heinz Field last December. Their defense was all over Brady and the Patriots offensive line. It will be a great test to see where New England is at and where Brady is at in terms of chemistry with his receivers.
