No, the sky is not falling on Gillette Stadium. That's just construction. Yes, the Patriots suffered a tough loss to Miami to start the season. Is it a rough way to start the season? Absolutely. Can they right the ship this week in Pittsburgh? Absolutely.
SPECIAL TEAMS- I thought last week's Patriots' game was going to come down to special teams, but instead it was turnovers which was the difference maker. Now in the Steelers' first game, which locally we all got to see the end of, it was all about whose kicking team sucked less. We had blocks, misses, doinks, you name it.
So, will this week's game come down to special teams? While I'm not really feeling it, I'd be remiss to not remind people of a couple of things. First off, since Nick Folk didn't have any field goal attempts last week, his streak for makes under 50 yards is still in tact. If he makes his next attempt he will be tied at 56 for the all time lead with Ryan Succop. The game time weather looks perfect for kicking.
Second, returning kicks and punts for the Steelers is former Patriot, Gunner Olszewski. We are 0-1, so there will be now hoping he plays well, but the Patriots win the game going on today. There will be 15 games after today that you are free to root for the guy. Should the Patriots decide to return some punts today, hopefully they don't get lit up by punter Pressley Harvin III.
So, will this week's game come down to special teams? While I'm not really feeling it, I'd be remiss to not remind people of a couple of things. First off, since Nick Folk didn't have any field goal attempts last week, his streak for makes under 50 yards is still in tact. If he makes his next attempt he will be tied at 56 for the all time lead with Ryan Succop. The game time weather looks perfect for kicking.
Second, returning kicks and punts for the Steelers is former Patriot, Gunner Olszewski. We are 0-1, so there will be now hoping he plays well, but the Patriots win the game going on today. There will be 15 games after today that you are free to root for the guy. Should the Patriots decide to return some punts today, hopefully they don't get lit up by punter Pressley Harvin III.
TURNOVERS- While turnovers are never good for an offense, some are abysmal. That my friends is the type the Patriots suffered from last week. As was pointed out by Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) on Twitter, in the Mac Jones era the Patriots are 8-0 when winning the turnover battle, 1-1 when tied, and 1-8 when losing. So, as per usual: win the turnover battle and win the game. FYI, last week the Steelers won the turnover battle 5-0 and still only squeaked out an overtime win.
WATT DID YOU SAY?- I'm not going to lie, not having to go against TJ Watt today makes me happy. Unfortunately, the Steelers play the Bills in week 5, so there's no chance he is back in time for that game. Regardless, I'm glad he isn't expected to be out too long.
PROTECT YOUR QUARTERBACK- The Steelers had 7 sacks last week and led the league last season with 55. Although they won't have TJ Watt, the offensive line as well as any other offensive player who has a defensive player lined up in front of him (yeah, I'm looking at you Hunter Henry) needs to give the future franchise some time. Andrews and the rest of the offense also need to be ready to snap the ball once they are set and stop waiting for the defense to be ready.
GAME PLAN- Are the Patriots a running team or a passing team? Should they aim to one or the other based on their roster? I think the team is pretty well rounded and should continue to remain balanced with their game plans. Of course, if an opponent is showing they can't stop something during a game I am 100% for running it until they can stop it. In my opinion that is the thing that drove me nuts about McDaniels. He never appeared to want to go for the jugular early in the game and left points on the table.
PROTECT YOUR QUARTERBACK- The Steelers had 7 sacks last week and led the league last season with 55. Although they won't have TJ Watt, the offensive line as well as any other offensive player who has a defensive player lined up in front of him (yeah, I'm looking at you Hunter Henry) needs to give the future franchise some time. Andrews and the rest of the offense also need to be ready to snap the ball once they are set and stop waiting for the defense to be ready.
GAME PLAN- Are the Patriots a running team or a passing team? Should they aim to one or the other based on their roster? I think the team is pretty well rounded and should continue to remain balanced with their game plans. Of course, if an opponent is showing they can't stop something during a game I am 100% for running it until they can stop it. In my opinion that is the thing that drove me nuts about McDaniels. He never appeared to want to go for the jugular early in the game and left points on the table.
TRUBISKY- In his one game against the Patriots, he played pretty well against the team which would end up being Super Bowl champions. In 2018 as a Chicago Bear he ended up throwing 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 7 point loss where he made 50 attempts. When he wasn't busy throwing the ball, he was running. He ran the ball 6 times for 81 yards including a touchdown. Since people are talking about Kenny Pickett being ready to start, both the Steelers coaching staff and Trubisky likely won't be afraid to see him try and use his legs. Hopefully, the Patriots don't let him extend drives with his feet today.
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