Listen Live: Patriots Vs. Steelers [Live Audio] Thursday Night Football
Listen to play-by-play of the first game of the 2015 NFL season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts Thursday night on 105.7 The Fan! (no streaming)
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By SportsDirect Inc.
There promises to be a festive atmosphere at Gillette Stadium when the New England Patriots open defense of their Super Bowl championship by hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in the kickoff to the NFL season. Not only will the Patriots celebrate their Super Bowl victory during a pregame ceremony, but fans of the team are still rejoicing after a federal judge overturned quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension.The Deflategate saga and the possibility of three-time Super Bowl MVP Brady missing the first four games of the season had cast a pall over New England before Commissioner Roger Goodell's suspension was thrown out in court last week. The Patriots own a 15-1 record at home over the past two seasons, but they face a tough test against the reigning AFC North champion Steelers, whose 41 wins on Kickoff Weekend rank No. 1 among AFC teams. "We are excited about the quick transition and for our opener on Thursday night," Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. "We are ready to play ball Thursday night and to get this season going." The Steelers will be missing an integral part of their offense as star running back Le'Veon Bell serves the first of a two-game suspension.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC.
RADIO: 8:30 p.m. ET, 105.7 FM / WestwoodOne
LINE: PATRIOTS -7. O/U: 52
ABOUT THE STEELERS (2014: 11-5, 1st, AFC NORTH): Pittsburgh featured the NFL's second-ranked offense last season and a big reason was the talents of Bell, who ranked second in the league with 1,361 rushing yards and added 83 receptions for 854 yards. With former Carolina back D'Angelo Williams set to spell Bell, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will likely take to the air as he looks to build upon a stellar campaign in which he established a career best in passing yardage (4,952) while throwing for 32 touchdowns versus only nine interceptions. Roethlisberger has the league's most productive wideout in Antonio Brown, who topped the league in receptions (129) and yards (1,698) while becoming only the fourth player in league history to post consecutive seasons with at least 110 catches. Longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau resigned in the offseason and was replaced by Keith Butler, who must shore up a unit that ranked among bottom fourth of the league in sacks, interceptions and passing yards surrendered.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (2014: 12-4, 1st, AFC EAST): New England will also be without its top running back due to the one-game suspension for LeGarrette Blount who, ironically, was a member of the Steelers and a passenger in Bell's car when the duo was arrested on marijuana charges during the 2014 preseason. Brandon Bolden is expected to get the start while James White, Dion Lewis and Travaris Cadet may also see time in the backfield, but the focus for the Steelers will be shutting down Brady and behemoth tight end Rob Gronkowski. Brady threw for 33 TDs against only nine interceptions last season and more than a third of those scoring passes (12) went to Gronkowski, who had 82 receptions for 1,124 yards while reaching double digits in touchdowns for the fourth time in five seasons. The Patriots suffered a huge blow in the secondary with the loss of both of their starting cornerbacks in the offseason, including all-world Darrelle Revis, leaving Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler atop the depth chart at that position.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Brady is 11-2 in season openers and 7-2 in his career versus Pittsburgh, including 3-0 at home.
2. Brown looks to extend his NFL record of 32 consecutive games with at least five catches and 50 yards receiving.
3. Patriots WR Julian Edelman, who has 197 receptions the past two season, did not play in the preseason but is not listed on the injury report.
PREDICTION: Patriots 27, Steelers 24