{"id":8705,"date":"2016-10-21T06:00:22","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=8705"},"modified":"2016-10-21T13:19:00","modified_gmt":"2016-10-21T17:19:00","slug":"patriots-steelers-keys-game-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/10\/21\/patriots-steelers-keys-game-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Steelers Keys, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> head to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. \u00a0This is the third week in a row that the Patriots take on a team from the AFC North.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Patriots<\/strong>\u00a0(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\u2019a 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.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Steelers <\/strong>(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.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d\u00a0column in 2016 to give some quick\u00a0analysis on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Steelers meet for the 29th<\/sup> time and the 20th<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Steelers Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Pittsburgh
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots running game has taken a back seat now that Tom Brady has moved back under center the past two weeks. But LeGarrette Blount and James White continue to get some carries and they keep the pass\/run balance to very manageable levels. Blount only carried 13 times a week ago but managed 50 yards and a touchdown.<\/p>\n

The Steelers defense is normally very stout against the run, last week was just an anomaly although they do miss Cam Heyward at his DE position. With Ryan Shazier out with an injury, 4th<\/sup> year ILB Vince Williams has filled in nicely.<\/p>\n

The Patriots won\u2019t look to run exclusively in this one, the front seven is too tough, but they can be expected to keep the defense honest and try to catch them in blitz situations with some quick hitters and some work by Blount inside between the tackles.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Steelers Secondary –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots passing game has been on fire the past two weeks with Brady at the helm. With a varied offense featuring the two tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, WRs Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan and James White out of the backfield, there have been too many weapons for opponents to handle.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh defense has adopted a bend but don\u2019t break approach trying to keep the play in front of them and denying the big plays downfield. But their pass rush has struggled, generating only eight sacks [three by Heyward], and they\u2019re giving up nearly 300 yards a game via the air.<\/p>\n

Tom Brady has always had excellent success against the Steelers and I don\u2019t see that changing here. The two tight ends put a big strain on the back end of the defense. Gronkowski gave the Steelers fits a year ago against what were arguably communication breakdowns. However, he and Bennett should find success against the middle area of the field. Look for James White to be targeted quite a bit again this week.<\/p>\n

Next up the Pittsburgh offense:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Steelers RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge Pittsburgh
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Pittsburgh running game got a huge boost when La\u2019Veon Bell returned from a three-game suspension. He and DeAngelo Williams are an extremely potent 1-2 combination in the backfield. Williams has run for 275 yards and three TDs thus far this year while Bell has 263 on 48 carries with a stellar 5.5 yards per carry since his return.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have been very good against the run this season allowing an average of only 92 yards per game. Interior lineman Malcom Brown and Alan Branch have been outstanding in run support. Linebackers Hightower, Jamie Collins and rookie Elandon Roberts are excellent in run support.<\/p>\n

The Steelers offensive line is very good upfront and they\u2019ll make a concerted effort this week to run the ball, give the QB manageable third downs to make and keep the Patriots offense and Brady on the sideline. That will open some play-action passes down the field that they feast on. They are going to get their yards this week. The key from a Patriots perspective is to limit their effectiveness and not allow them to dominate and take over the game. Then, they can force mistakes in the passing game in obvious passing situations.<\/p>\n

Steelers WRs vs NE Secondary-\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em><\/strong>Landry Jones has the tough job of filling in for Roethlisberger until he\u2019s ready to come back. Judging from his past injury history, it should be sooner rather than later. Jones isn\u2019t Big Ben and has been just okay when forced to fill Roethlisberger\u2019s shoes. But he does have a dazzling display of talent to throw the ball to.<\/p>\n

Antonio Brown is one of the game\u2019s best wide receivers. He can do it all and is a threat every time he touches the ball be it in the short, medium or deep areas of the field. He\u2019s ably backed up by deep threat speedster Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Eli Rogers outside. Jesse James is the tight end and Bell out of the backfield gives Jones plenty of weapons to throw to.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have been mostly just so-so against the pass. Third down defense and the red zone have been big-time problem areas. The pass rush has been very inconsistent. The Patriots have gotten good performances by CBs Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan. Slot corner has been an issue and the team got a nice performance by Eric Rowe last week. He earned some further reps this week.<\/p>\n

Look for the Patriots to eventually get more aggressive with Jones as the game wears on. They\u2019ll have to get a bit creative with the pressure and still play tight coverage against a very talented Pittsburgh receiving core. With Roethlisberger, their approach would be much different. Bell is the X-factor here, especially if they decide to blitz.<\/p>\n

Special Teams-<\/strong>\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/em>The Patriots get the slight edge here, Stephen Gostkowski, although he\u2019s struggling a bit with his FGs right now is always solid and has been outstanding at the kickoff pooch kicks which have enabled the Patriots to pin their opponents deep in their own zone. Chris Boswell has been very solid for the Steelers thus far making 4 of 5 FG attempts but hasn\u2019t attempted a field goal of 50+ this season.<\/p>\n

Punter Ryan Allen has been outstanding at angling his punts to the sidelines and limiting the returns of opponents. He\u2019ll have to be again as the Steelers have the dangerous Brown on the receiving end. Pittsburgh punter Jordan Berry has been very solid with a 40.8-yard net average. The Patriots punt return game showed signs of life a week ago with Julian Edelman returning one 26 yards against Cincinnati. Look for Cyrus Jones to get another shot this week.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>This one has the script flipped once it was announced that Roethlisberger would miss the game due to his knee surgery. This one promised to be one of those old-time AFL shootouts. Now with Jones at the helm, the Steelers don\u2019t want him in a shootout type scenario with Brady. They\u2019ll attempt to slow the game down and limit Brady\u2019s chances to score.<\/p>\n

The Patriots will probably put their best effort to slow down Bell in both the running and passing games. If they can do that, and putting Jones into third and long scenarios, then they having the opportunity to throw some looks that he hasn\u2019t seen before and perhaps forcing a turnover or two.<\/p>\n

On the opposite side of the ball, Brady has had great success against Pittsburgh. The past two meetings against the Steelers defense he\u2019s completed 48 of 65 passes for 720 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Look for him to target the linebackers and safeties with the two tight ends. Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan will work outside and try to pressure the corners.<\/p>\n

This one will be close but I expect the Pats to pull away in the second half. The Steelers have some great weapons and are very tough at home, but this is a place that New England has proven that it can win in. Patriots 31-21<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This one promised to be one of those old-time AFL shootouts. 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