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NFL Commentary

Patriots – Steelers Keys, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?

Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri Senior Writer · PatsFans.com since 2011
Oct 21, 2016 at 6:00 am ET · 6 min read · 2.3k views
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6 min read NFL Commentary

The New England Patriots head to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m.  This is the third week in a row that the Patriots take on a team from the AFC North.

The game will be televised by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties with Phil Simms as the color analyst. Tracy Wolfson will work the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Cappello.

The Patriots (5-1) defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 35-17 last week in Foxboro. After falling behind 14-10 early in the third quarter, the Patriots rallied and outscored the Bengals 25-3 the rest of the way. Dont’a Hightower started the comeback with a sack of Andy Dalton for a safety. Tom Brady threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns and Rob Gronkowski had a career-high 162 yards on seven catches and a touchdown.

The Steelers (4-2) were defeated in Miami 30-15. Ben Roethlisberger tore his meniscus but came back to finish the game albeit in a losing effort. The Steelers normally stout run defense was gashed to the tune of over 220 yards by the Dolphins with 204 from running back Jay Ajayi.

We here at PatsFans.com are continuing our “Razor’s Edge” column in 2016 to give some quick analysis on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.

Series History:
The Patriots and Steelers meet for the 29th time and the 20th in Pittsburgh. The Steelers own a 15-13 edge overall in the history between the two teams including an 11-8 advantage in games played in Pittsburgh. However, since Bill Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000, the Patriots have had great success against the Steelers taking 9 of 12.

In their last meeting during the 2015 season opener, the Patriots won 28-21 with Tom Brady throwing for 288 yards and 4 touchdowns with three of them going to TE Rob Gronkowski.

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge.

First up is the Patriots offense:

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About Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

View all posts by Steve Balestrieri
Tags: 2016 NFL Season 2016 Patriots season Antonio Brown Ben Roethlisberger Bill Belichick Cameron Heyward Chris Hogan Danny Amendola DeAngelo Williams Dion Lewis Dont'a Hightower Jabaal Sheard James Harrison James White Julian Edelman La'Veon Bell LaGarrette Blount Landry Jones Malcolm Butler Markus Wheaton Martellus Bennett New England Patriots Patriots edge rushers Pittsburgh Steelers Rob Gronkowski Rob Ninkovich Sammie Coates Tom Brady Vince Williams William Gay

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