On Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off their regular season. In the past, Pittsburgh has been fortunate to get some easier games to kick off the season but not this time. Instead the Steelers get to go on the road and take on the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Patriots are the nemesis of the Steelers in the AFC and this has us worried. Here’s why.
Knocking off the rust
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has the philosophy of playing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as little as possible during the preseason. This year Roethlisberger has thrown the football 13 times. Is this enough to knock off the rust and have him ready to take on Brady? Brady’s preseason was essentially the same. It could come down to which quarterback gets up to speed first.
History with Brady
Last season, the Steelers got the best of Brady in Pittsburgh. But this time the Steelers have to travel to New England where Brady has owned the Steelers. Brady’s lifetime record against the Steelers is 11-3, but he is 5-0 including a win in the playoffs against the Steelers when the Patriots are at home.
Hangover win or lose
This is a tough game to start the season and the repercussions could be felt all year long. If the Steelers can pull off the upset in the first week, they could carry that momentum all the way to the bye week. But if the Steelers lose, they might not be able to shake it off and might string together multiple losses.
