Because the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots visit the matchup of Week 1 can also be the very first Sunday night game of the season. This is why we like the home side.
Celebrate that title Nowadays, the Super Bowl champion is supposed to open the year at the Thursday night Kickoff Game in the home and then set it.
However, for this being that the NFL’s 100th anniversary year the league opted to put its rivalry in the Kickoff Game.
The New England Patriots will have to wait till Sunday to celebrate the Super Bowl name of the Tom Brady & Bill Belichick Era.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the opponent as they look to conquer on Brady on the road for the first time. More on this shortly. It’s a fantastic thing that Patriots aren’t in the Kickoff Game since the last time they hosted it, in 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs treated quite easily them.
That won’t count as one, although that is New England’s only loss in four Kickoff Games.
This is the fourth time in franchise history that the Patriots open a year from the Steelers. They also did in 1979, 2002 and 2015 — if the Patriots were coming off a Super Bowl triumph, the ???02 and ???15 games were.
They would win both of those games but lost in 1979. It’s the fifth period that these clubs and New England play. The Patriots’ last loss total (non-preseason variant ) was 15 last year, 17-10 in Pittsburgh when Brady threw an uncharacteristic late interception deep in Steelers territory.
It’s the 33rd meeting and it’s tied at 16.
Since they begin life without two of their best players in their position in the NFL in All-Pro running Le’Veon Bell and star receiver Antonio 35, it’s a new age for the Steelers. They’re using Raiders and the Jets .
Pittsburgh is used to playing Bell James Conner demonstrated a more than satisfactory replacement and because he sat out most last season and about 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 13 games. He’ll stay the bell-cow at 2019.
Technically, the Steelers are used to playing Brown as well as he had been benched for Week 17 last year due to his antics. Pittsburgh won this match but still missed the playoffs when Baltimore edged Cleveland to maintain the AFC North.
Ben Roethlisberger has a nice Brown substitute in JuJu Smith-Schuster, that captured 111 chunks for 1,426 yards (both greater than Brown) and seven scores last year. James Washington should be a whole lot more involved as the newest No. 2.
The Steelers will unveil two starting linebackers from pick Devin Bush and free-agent addition Mark Barron . The Steelers have been raving about Bush, who has 4.4 40-yard speed. He could be the team Ryan Shazier.
At the Majority of SBR’s top-rated sportsbooks, the Patriots are tied with or just slightly to win Super Bowl LIV in Miami. And why not? Sure, Rob Gronkowski is retired (we believe he returns after this season), but Brady and Belichick remain there.
Brady will have a full season of recipient Josh Gordon, recently reinstated from suspension. But receiver N’Keal Harry starts the year on injured reserve.
Moreover, starting center David Andrews, an anchor in front of Brady for years, will miss the season after being hospitalized as a result of blood clots in his lungs. The group probably will begin Ted Karras at center.
Selected using the 221st choice from the 2016 NFL Draft, Karras has played 45 games — beginning in five. There is also the opportunity it’s Russell Bodine, that has started 74 NFL games and had been acquired in trade.
New England is 5-1 at Gillette Stadium vs Pittsburgh that is all-time. When Brady was out injured that loss came in the 2008 season.
He’s 11-3 against the Steelers including playoffs and has NEVER lost at home. That’s surprising. The Pats had won five straight in the series before that Week 15 loss this past year.
We like New England with a touchdown.
Free NFL Pick: Patriots -6 at BetOnline
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