Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots: Preview, Prediction, TV Info and more

Keys for Steelers:

Oct 27, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le

1. Run the Football: One week after running the football rather well against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers came out and ran it for only 35 yards last week against the Oakland Raiders. They will be without starting guard David DeCastro, but somehow the Steelers have to find a way to get Le’Veon Bell going.

The rookie is averaging a mere 3.3 yards per carry, but has a chance to do something big on Sunday. The Patriots defense has allowed more than 130 rush yards in all four games since losing run defense anchor Vince Wilfork. Only the lowly Jaguars have allowed more yards on the ground the past four weeks.

If the Steelers can’t run the ball they could be in trouble as the New England defense ranks fifth in the league with 215.5 passing yards allowed per contest, but 31st against the run (130.8).

2. Create Turnovers: It’s the same old story for the Steelers defense. No pressure and the lack of turnovers by the defense. They did force a few last week against the Raiders, so that is a trend that needs to continue. Brady has coughed it up some this season, so the opportunity could be there for some big plays. With the lack of weapons on the offensive side of the ball, it could take a defensive touchdown to win this game and that is something that hasn’t happened in ages.

3. Get to Brady: The Pats are down a key lineman and allowing more sacks than ever before. However the Steelers have managed just 10 sacks, one more than league-worst Chicago. However, their defense ranks fourth in the NFL, yielding an average of 302.9 yards, including 181.0 through the air. But if they don’t get pressure on Brady, none of that will matter as they will get picked apart.