The playoffs finally feel real. The Patriots are one game away from the Super Bowl and the pressure is on. This is the part of the season we all live for, to face stiff competition and crush old rivals. The Patriots and Steelers haven’t held as intense a rivalry since they last faced off in the playoffs in 2004. Now, the teams are largely different than they were then, but both teams are still top organizations. Let’s break it down.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Pittsburgh Steelers, aka “Bumble Ben and the Yellow Jackets”
Week 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday January 22nd
6:40 pm EST, CBS
High 30’s, 10% chance of precipitation, 5 mph winds
Opponent/Patriots Stats:
Steelers: 11-5 (2-0)
Common Opponents:
- Miami Dolphins (Pats won both, Steelers won in playoffs, lost in regular season)
- Buffalo Bills (Steelers won, Pats split the series)
- New York Jets (Pats won both, Steelers won)
- Cleveland Browns (Pats won, Steelers won both)
- Cincinnati Bengals (Pats won, Steelers won both)
- Baltimore Ravens (Pats won, Steelers split the series)
History: These teams have a history we all know about. What’s so remarkable is the time since theses two teams last met in the playoffs. Belichick has never faced a playoff team coached by Mike Tomlin who will certainly have his guys ready to go. Tomlin has brought the Steelers to the playoffs 6 times since 2008, a paragon of competitive consistency rivaled primarily by Belichick. We of course know the beef between these teams when Heinz Field was the home of these playoff matches, but that history isn’t entirely relevant right now.
Notable Players
Ben Roethlisberger QB: 328/509 (64.4%), 3,819 yds., 29 TDs, 13 INT, 2 fumbles, 95.4 rating
Le’Veon Bell RB: 261 carries, 1,268 yds, 4.9 avg., 9 total TDs, 4 fumbles, 75 rec., 616 yards
Antonio Brown WR: 106 rec., 1,284 yds., 51 long, 12 TDs, 0 fumbles
Markus Wheaton WR: (only 3 games played this year): 4 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD
Injury Alerts
Patriots:
Malcolm Mitchell was last seen Week 16 against the Jets where he suffered a knee injury. Mitchell wasn’t practicing for a while and was out against Houston. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported last week on twitter that Mitchell was expected to be a go in the championship game but would probably not make it in the divisional round.
Chris Hogan was dealing with a thigh injury that knocked him out of the game against the Texans last week. Hogan spoke to reporters on Tuesday and said he could have returned to the game if needed. He looks to be a go for the game on Sunday.
Martellus Bennett got a huge scare when his knee hyper extended dramatically. Bennett was down for a while, a couple minutes or so with trainers, his knee in the air and his back on the ground. Then, he just popped back up, jogged to the sideline and missed one play. Bennett finished the game. Bennett will play. But it’s worth keeping an extra eye on him.
Steelers:
Ladarius Green was in the concussion protocol and was inactive for the game against the Chiefs. Green was the Steelers prized free agent acquisition until he struggled to get on the field. Green is a talented TE and would be a great addition to their team. Look for him on the injury report this week
Fitzgerald Toussaint is also dealing with a concussion and was inactive last week. The team’s returner practiced on a limited basis last week, which might look better for his prospects for this week. Toussaint would boost the Pittsburgh special teams so keep an eye for his name on the injury report.
Key Matchups:
Patriots
vs. WR1: 20th —–Malcolm Butler vs. Antonio Brown
vs. WR2: 8th—– Logan Ryan vs. Markus Wheaton
vs. other WR: 19th—– Justin Coleman vs. Darius Heyward-Bey
vs. RB: 20th—– Kyle Van Noy vs. Le’Veon Bell
Steelers
vs. WR1: 32nd —– Julian Edelman vs. Ross Cockrell
vs. WR2: 3rd—– Chris Hogan vs. William Gay
vs. other WR: 1st —– Malcolm Mitchell vs. Artie Burns
vs. RB: 19th —– James White vs. Lawrence Timmons
What’s at Stake?
Beyond getting to the Super Bowl, another playoff win versus the consistently good Pittsburgh Steelers would be another notch in the legacy of Belichick and Brady. But obviously, winner here goes to the Super Bowl, and that means I have an excuse to buy 100’s of wings on February 5th. So they better win.
Early Thoughts:
The Patriots will probably need their best game of the season for this one.
-BB will limit Brown and Bell. It’s what he does. The question is, can Pittsburgh’s scrubs make the key plays to win the game?
-Maybe a way to contain Bell is to mush rush him like you would a mobile QB. He is so unbelievably patient, defensive linemen have to be very careful not to over pursue here, like a mobile QB otherwise Bell will leak right through.
-Can the offense play like we’re used to? Pittsburgh has a pretty efficient offense, ranking 8th in offensive DVOA. New England is at the top of that list at number 2, but they struggled to get to 34 last week. Granted, the Texans were a strong defensive unit playing the perfect strategy to limit Brady, but New England will probably have to be able to win a shootout.
-Like I said above, the history between these two teams is fun to look at, but it couldn’t matter less here. These are not the teams of the early 2000’s. I don’t think the comparison is worth it.
-I’ll leave you with this unreal stat Kevin Duffy found:
Le'Veon Bell has 1,565 yards from scrimmage…..
….since Week 10.
— Kevin Duffy (@KevinRDuffy) January 16, 2017
Deep breaths everyone, no one is unbeatable. This game will just demand the Patriots best.
