Le’veon Bell:

It’s only Wednesday and Mike Tomlin sounds like a kid who can’t wait for Christmas as the Steelers await their long anticipated showdown with the Patriots this weekend.

We heard ad nauseam how the Patriots hadn’t faced an elite QB. Well, they did on Sunday and held them to essentially nine points until a garbage TD

Brady did what he’s done so many times before… He eviscerated them to the tune of 32-42 for 384 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs for a passer rating of 127.5

The winner will go to the Super Bowl for the ninth time…most in NFL history. If there is a better barometer for continued excellence, I don’t know it.

A quick look at the final eight teams that rounded out the NFL’s season from the Divisional Round thru the Super Bowl shows that for the most part, teams that ran the ball well were the ones standing in the end.

Despite an abundance of injuries, NFL week five’s Monday night football game should be a good one. Although the two clubs are just 2-2, the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers both have legitimate playoff aspirations for this 2015 season. Pittsburgh is coming off a 23-20 home overtime loss to the Ravens a week ago Thursday, while the Chargers eked out a 30-27 home victory over the Browns last Sunday. Both teams are currently 2-2 and are seeking to keep within two games of undefeated leaders in their respective divisions (the 5-0 Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals).

Another week and another marquee NFL player is sidelined with a serious injury. Ben Roethlisberger was off to a fantastic start of the 2015 NFL season but will reportedly be out 4-6 weeks after suffering a medial collateral ligament sprain and bone bruise from a low hit in the pocket by St. Louis safety Mark Barron in the third quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 12-6 victory over the Rams on Sunday. Big Ben had completed over 75% of his passes this season and was leading the league with 10.2 pass attempts; in the first two games of the year Roethlisberger threw for a whopping 720 yards, and was picking the St. Louis defense apart, completing 20 of 24 passes before the unfortunate hit.

Who gets the nod on offense, defense and special teams in the Patriots – Steelers game on Thursday night? Read on and check it out.

The Patriots and Steelers will kick off the 2015 NFL season with a primetime Thursday night game. Pittsburgh boasts one of the league’s most potent offenses