Patriots-Steelers What To Watch For: Another Big Day For Gronk Vs. Pittsburgh?
BOSTON (CBS) -- There were only a few key dates to circle when the 2016 Patriots schedule was released, with their Week 7 matchup against the Steelers being one of them.
There's rarely a dull moment between these two AFC foes, who can make annual cases for being the class of the conference, or not far from it. So to see the two teams matched up near the midway point of the year, it made for appointment viewing for a league that is struggling to keep viewers interested.
The game is still one of the better matchups of the week, but has lost a little bit with Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger going down with a knee injury. What could have been an early preview of this year's AFC Championship game will now feature Landry Jones at quarterback for Pittsburgh, so it's OK if you're not as hyped for the matchup as you were when the season got underway.
It's still going to be a solid test for the Patriots defense even without Big Ben under center, and the offense will look to keep things rolling with Tom Brady leading the way. Here's what we'll be watching for come Sunday afternoon:
Brady, Offense Taking Aim
When you call out Tom Brady and the New England offense, chances are you're about to get roasted on the field. Remember Anthony Smith back in 2007, who famously guaranteed a victory over the undefeated Patriots (in Foxboro, nonetheless). He had a bull's eye on his back the entire afternoon, and had a front-row seat for two of Brady's four touchdown passes that day.
This time, it's the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator, who doesn't have to go out and try to stop the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Julian Edelman or Brady, but provided them all with some bulletin board material ahead of Sunday's matchup.
"I don't think they're doing anything special," Keith Butler said of the New England offense on a podcast that has mysteriously disappeared off the Steelers team website. "I think sometimes they do things outside the box sometimes, you know, that might be on the edge of being legal or not legal."
Head coach Mike Tomlin must have had a Lloyd Christmas moment after hearing Butler's comments:
Those are some interesting comments from a coordinator whose squad has allowed 293.7 passing yards per game this season, ranking 30th in the NFL. Nothing like adding a little extra mustard to a fired-up offense averaging 32 points per game in their two games with Brady back under center. Brady also has 17 touchdowns and no interceptions in his last five games against the Steelers, so this one is trending towards another big day for No. 12.
The Patriots offense may not be flashy, but it rarely has trouble putting points on the board when Brady has time to pick defenses apart. The QB praised the Pittsburgh defense for all their different blitz packages and defensive looks earlier this week, and he always expects pressure when the Steelers, lining up across from him. But Pittsburgh hasn't been very good at getting to the quarterback this season with just eight sacks over the first four weeks (tied for 28th in the league), so Brady might have all the time he needs to find whichever open receiver is streaking across the field.
Brady was already motivated after missing a month to start the season, and having an opposing team's defensive coordinator call out his offense will only further fuel those flames. He's also got a pretty giant target at his disposal with a knack for carving up the Steelers...
Gronk Loves Playing Pittsburgh
Rob Gronkowski is coming off his biggest game of the year with seven catches for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. He was removed from New England's injury report earlier this week and is as "fully healthy" as an NFL player can be.
As is the case any Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday) that he steps on the field, Gronk is primed for another big game in Pittsburgh. There's also the fact that he absolutely destroys the Steelers, with seven touchdowns in four games against New England's AFC foe. He has a pair of three-touchdown games against Pittsburgh, including the 2015 season opener when three of his five catches ended with him dancing in the end zone. The first time he played on Heinz Field, he also put together an end zone hat trick as a rookie.
Pittsburgh has some athletic linebackers, but no one can keep up with Gronk when he's healthy. As evidence of the last two weeks, he's finally healthy (knock on wood), and should continue his good fortune against the Steelers on Sunday.
"Shutting Down" Brown
The Patriots defense will set their sights on the talented Le'veon Bell, a difficult task at hand for Defensive Player of the Week Dont'a Hightower. But if he and the rest of the linebacking corps can do their best to try and slow down the elusive and versatile back, that will force Landry Jones to beat them with Pittsburgh's air attack. That will fall on Antonio Brown, one of the most talented pass catchers in the NFL today.
But as great as Brown is (and he's really, really great), he has yet to find the end zone without Big Ben throwing him the ball. He'll also likely be matched up against Malcolm Butler, as he was 13 months ago in Foxboro, which should make for some must-see TV on Sunday.
The key to shutting down Brown is keeping him from making big plays. Like containing Bell, that's no easy task. It's one that won't just fall on Butler or whichever corner Bill Belichick has hounding him, but on the New England safeties as well. Devin McCourty will be the last line of defense against a potential game-breaking play from Brown (and Bell, for that matter), the final bastion between Brown twerking his way into the end zone.
But even when he makes pedestrian 10-yard grabs, they're pretty entertaining as well:
Brown made nine catches for 133 yards in last year's season opener against New England, but did a lot of his damage on Pittsburgh's final drive (four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown) that gave the illusion that the game wasn't as lopsided as it actually was. The Steelers were without Bell that evening, so it's not really a great gauge on what to expect come Sunday afternoon. But the key is keeping Brown from ripping off big plays, and more importantly, keeping him out of the end zone.
It's a tough challenge for any defense, but if the Patriots are up to it, it will make everyone feel a little better about a defense that hasn't quite lived up to the preseason hype just yet.
Gostkowski's Struggles
Stephen Gostkowski has been kicking the crap out of the ball on kickoffs, helping New England win the special teams battle every week. But his missed kicks are going to be a story line to follow until he gives us a reason to feel confident again.
Gostkowski missed an extra point last week against the Bengals, and his 31-yarder late in the game was no sure thing either. He is now 9-for-12 on his field goal attempts this season, with his three misses coming from 39 yards in Week 2, 48 yards in Week 4 and 50 yards in Week 5. Add in last week's missed extra point, and he's missed a kick in each of the last three weeks.
We all know Gostkowski is among the best kickers to ever boot a football, but he has to be better than what he's shown this season.
Tune in to Patriots-Steelers at 4:25pm on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins at 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay and at 1:30pm on 98.5FM. After the game, tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on myTV38 and three full hours of reaction and analysis on The Hub!
