Patriots – Steelers AFC Championship Key Matchups
Greg M. Cooper - USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots head to the AFC Championship Game for a record sixth time in a row and take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday evening at 6:40 p.m.
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 (15-2) defeated the Houston Texans in the Divisional round 34-16 despite not being at their best offensively. The Patriots turned the ball over three times although Dion Lewis set an NFL record with a rushing, receiving and a return for a touchdown. The Patriots defense forced three turnovers with interceptions of Brock Osweiler.
The Steelers (13-5) defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round 18-16. The Steelers offense also struggled and failed to score a touchdown relying on six Chris Boswell field goals. The Steelers defense stopped a two-point conversion with seconds left in the game that could have sent it into overtime.
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 30th time but just the 10th in Pittsburgh. The Steelers own a 15-14 edge overall in the history between the two teams. However, since Bill Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000, the Patriots have had great success against the Steelers taking 10 of 13.
In their last meeting, earlier this season the Patriots won 27-16 at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh was without Ben Roethlisberger and had Landry Jones at quarterback. Tom Brady completed 19-26 for 222 yards and LaGarrette Blount rushed for 127 yards and two TDs on 24 carries.
Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge.
First up is the Patriots offense:
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
Tags: 2016 AFC Championship Game 2016 NFL playoffs 2016 NFL Season 2016 Patriots season Antonio Brown Ben Roethlisberger Bill Belichick Bud DuPree Chris Hogan Danny Amendola Denver Broncos Dion Lewis Dont'a Hightower Eli Rogers Jabaal Sheard Jesse James Julian Edelman LaGarrette Blount lawrence Timmons Le'Veon Bell Malcolm Butler Martellus Bennett New England Patriots NFL Patriots Pittsburgh Steelers Rob Ninkovich Tom Brady Trey Flowers
