Because the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots see the matchup of Week 1 can also be the very first Sunday night game of the new season. Here’s why we like the home side.
Observe that name with the fans these days, the reigning Super Bowl champion is designed to open the season at the Thursday night Kickoff Game in the home and then place it in the rearview mirror once and for all.
However, for this being the 100th anniversary season the league opted to set its oldest rivalry, Packers-Bears, at the Kickoff Game of that the NFL.
Thus, the New England Patriots will need to wait until Sunday to observe the record Super Bowl title of Bill Belichick Era & the Tom Brady.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be the competition as they look to conquer Brady on the road for the very first time. More on that soon. It’s a good thing that Patriots are not at the Kickoff Game because the last time they hosted it, in 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs treated rather easily them.
This is New England’s only loss in four Kickoff Games, but that technically will not count as one.
This is actually the fourth time in franchise history the Patriots open a year from the Steelers. In addition they did in 1979, 2002 and 2015 — that the ???02 and ???15 matches were when the Patriots were coming from a Super Bowl win.
They would win both of those games but lost in 1979. It is the fifth year that these clubs and New England play. The Patriots’ last loss overall (non-preseason version) was 15 final year, 17-10 in Pittsburgh when Brady threw an uncharacteristic late interception deep in Steelers territory.
Including playoffs, it’s the 33rd assembly and it’s tied at 16.
It is a new era for the Steelers as they begin life without two of the greatest players at their place in the NFL in All-Pro running back star receiver Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. They are using the Jets and Raiders.
Pittsburgh is accustomed to playing Bell James Conner revealed a more than worthy replacement with 13 touchdowns and because he sat out all last season and about 1,500 yards from scrimmage in just 13 games. He’ll continue being the bell-cow in 2019.
Technically, the Steelers are used to playing Brown as well as he had been benched due to his selfish antics final year for Week 17. Once Baltimore edged Cleveland to claim the AFC North, pittsburgh won this game 16-13 over Cincinnati but missed the playoffs.
Ben Roethlisberger has a nice Brown replacement in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who grabbed 111 chunks for 1,426 yards (both greater than Brown) and seven scores last year. James Washington ought to be far more involved as the new No. 2.
Defensively, the Steelers will unveil two new linebackers in addition Mark Barron and pick Devin Bush . The Steelers have been raving about Bush, that has 4.4 40-yard speed. He could be the group’s next Ryan Shazier.
In most of the top-rated sportsbooks of SBR, the Patriots are tied or only marginally to win Super Bowl LIV in Miami. And why don’t you? Sure, the Rob Gronkowski is retired (we think he returns later this season), but Brady and Belichick are still there.
Brady will have a complete season of recipient Josh Gordon. First-round receiver N’Keal Harry starts annually on injured reserve.
Furthermore, an anchor before Brady for years, starting heart David Andrews, will miss the season. The group likely will start Ted Karras at center.
Selected with the 221st pick from the 2016 NFL Draft, Karras has played in 45 games — starting in five. There is also the chance it is Russell Bodine, who has begun 74 NFL games in his profession and had been recently acquired in trade.
New England is currently 5-1 at Gillette Stadium vs Pittsburgh. When Brady was hurt, that loss came in the 2008 regular season.
He’s 11-3 from the Steelers and has NEVER lost at home to them. That is surprising. The Pats had won five straight in the series before that Week 15 reduction this past year.
We like New England by a touchdown.
Free NFL Pick: Patriots -6 in BetOnline
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