Everything is ready for the Week 2 NFL matchup between the Steelers and the Patriots, which will be played at noon. The Steelers will be looking for their first victory at home, while the Patriots will be looking for their first win.
Date: September 18, 2022
Time: 12:00 noon
Broadcast: Fox Sport and NFL Game Pass
ACTIONS
Kickoff! First offense goes to Pittsburgh, and Tribisky goes for his first points.
PREVIEW
What until recently was the clash between two of the most legendary quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, now is between a pair of passers who are being questioned and with doubts about whether they will be the future bets of their respective franchises.
The battles between Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger are already part of the past between the Patriots vs. Steelers, teams that have lowered their pretensions and are now far from appearing among the title contenders.
They have not crossed paths since 2019, although they keep their same head coach on the sidelines. Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin are the head coaches who have been with their respective teams the longest, and that is what their fans are relying on to try to get something positive out of 2022.
The scenario does not look encouraging in New England. Mac Jones continues to leave more doubts than certainties and at least in Week 1, the ground attack did not work either. They were barely able to score seven points against the Dolphins.
To make matters worse, Jones was unable to practice for much of the week due to a back injury.
The good news for the second-year quarterback and the Patriots will be that they won’t have to worry about doddering defensive end T.J. Watt.
The 2021 Defensive Player of the Year will miss much of the season with a pectoral injury and with that, Pittsburgh’s backfield suffers a major blow.
Without their great leader, they will now have to deal with keeping Mitchell Trubisky’s project afloat. While their first pick of the last draft (Kenny Pickett) waits on the sidelines for his chance, Trubisky’s priority is to take care of the ball and wait for the rest to do their job.
The strategy worked for them in Week 1 where the Steelers needed no more than 194 air yards from their QB to defeat the defending American Conference champions.
According to bettors, New England is a slight favorite even though they will be playing as visitors. The absence of the youngest Watt is playing on the lines.
