Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots: Preview, Prediction, TV Info and more
By Matt Shetler
Keys for Patriots:
Oct 27, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) scrambles for a first down against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
1. Find some consistency on offense: For a six win team, the Pats haven’t been the most consistent offense and it starts with quarterback Brady. The future Hall of Famer is completing 55.7 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns, six interceptions and a 74.9 passer rating — 20.7 below his career mark.
Brady needs to get in a groove for the Pats to not only win this game, but to be realistic Super Bowl contenders. Having Rob Gronkowski back should help matters some, but Brady is going to need to turn in some Brady-like performances along the way.
2. Strong Start: New England hasn’t been getting off to great starts and started very slowly last week, needing a 17 point third quarter to rally for a 27-17 victory over Miami that improved them to 4-0 at home.
Brady has been a main reason for the slow starts. Last week he threw for only 25 yards with an INT while the offense totaled 59 yards in the first half. The Steelers have been outscored 54-19 in the first quarter this season, so the opportunity could be there for the Pats to jump out early and grab a quick lead. If New England doesn’t start quicker this week, they will suffer their first home loss of the season.
3. Protect Brady: Brady isn’t used to getting hit at the rate that Roethlisberger does, but he has been sacked 23 times already — four fewer than all of last season. To make matters worse, the Pats will be without Sebastian Vollmer as the right tackle was lost for the season with a right leg injury last week and is expected to be replaced by Marcus Cannon, who has started only one of 31 career games over three seasons.