Patriots and Steelers will be facing each other in what’s going to be the first regular-season game for both teams.
The current champs are starting with the right foot as the game will be taking place at Gillette Stadium, in Foxboro.
The Pats Will Be Using their Third-String Tight End vs the Steelers
The Patriots, the current NFL champions, will be opening their regular season vs. the Steelers, and it seems that they’ll be missing some key players when facing Pittsburgh in Week 1.
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This is because the NFL announced Saturday that they were suspending tight end Lance Kendricks for one game, as the result of a violation to the league’s substance-abuse policy. And, even though this is just a one-match suspension, this is big news for the Steelers. And that’s because Pittsburgh has always had a difficult time covering tight ends when facing the Pats.
Now, Rob Gronkowski “retired” last year, and even though some believe he’ll be returning to action at some point, it’s not likely that he’ll be back for this Week 1 meeting.
With that said, Ben Watson signed with New England during the offseason, but he will also be serving a four-match suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy.
So, this means that the Pats will be forced to use their third-string tight end versus the Steelers.
Another player that won’t be playing on September 8 vs. the Steelers is safety Patrick Chung, who is currently facing cocaine possession charges.
And, indeed, these are significant losses that can change how this team is going to perform.
Can Davis Be Ready for Week 1?
But not only the Pats will be suffering significant losses for their first meeting of the season, as Sean Davis of the Steelers sustained a significant ankle injury at the end of the first half of the preseason game between Pittsburgh and the Titans.
Davis assured reporters that he expected to be ready to play vs. the Pats. He became the starting strong safety for Pittsburgh midseason in 2016, helping the Steelers to acquire their second straight AFC North division title after a faulty 4-5 start. His 2017 season was a bit underwhelming, but his reviews were pretty positive in 2018, and he remained of the best players in terms of tackles, helping the Steelers to finish tenth in passing yards allowed. His health is critical for the Steelers this year because Pittsburgh is light at this position.
Behind Davis, we can find Marcus Allen as second string, and Kameron Kelly at third. David knows how tough it’s to beat New England: he witnessed first-hand how Tom Brady threw for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns at the 2016 Championship Game, which the Steelers lost 36-17.
The Steelers finally managed to defeat Brady and the Pats last season, beating New England 17-10, so Patriots will be seeking revenge this time around. That Pittsburgh victory was at Heinz Field, and this upcoming match will at Gillette Stadium, a place where Pittsburgh has never gotten a victory at with Brady as their QB. The Steelers are 0-5 versus the Brady-led Patriots at New England.
Patriots:
- New England is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New England’s previous 12 games.
- New England is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New England’s last 5 games against Pittsburgh.
- New England is 16-0 SU in their last 16 games at home.
- New England is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh.
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New England’s last 9 games against an opponent in the AFC conference.
- New England is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against an opponent in the AFC North division.
- New England is 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games played in September.
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New England’s last 11 games played on a Sunday.
Steelers:
- Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games.
- Pittsburgh is 8-4 SU in their last 12 games.
- Pittsburgh is 4-12-1 ATS in their last 17 games against New England.
- Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games against New England.
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games on the road.
- Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against New England.
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 7 games against an opponent in the AFC conference.
- Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played in September.
- Pittsburgh is 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games played in week 1.
So, who should you put your money on this match? If you think Ben Roethlisberger and his teammates can take their first victory at New England, then place your bets on the Black and Gold.
On the other hand, if you think Brady and company will continue to be dominant at Gillette Stadium, put your money on the Pats!
Best of Luck!
