"They looked as much against the Dolphins last Sunday, especially offensively, and building upon that would certainly provide some optimism for the rest of the year. Their season-opening performance against the Raiders prompted numerous concerns about the start of the Mike Vrabel era, following a highly hyped offseason that had many believing they could be a sneaky playoff contender as soon as this fall."
"While there's still a chance that could become a reality, they have a tough battle ahead of them with the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers coming to town this weekend. Their revamped offense, which also added wide receiver D.K. Metcalf earlier this year, is expected to be much tougher than the Patriots' first two opponents, which could also be said about their defense."
"Former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt is already on a hot streak to start the year in Pittsburgh, but his defensive teammates are already being plagued with injuries, which could give the Patriots a bit of an upper hand in this matchup that they otherwise wouldn't have. The Steelers have already ruled out some of their best defensive talent ahead of Week 3"
The Patriots aim to extend a win streak in Week 3 against the Steelers and demonstrate clear improvement. The offense performed well against the Dolphins, creating optimism if that play continues. A shaky season opener versus the Raiders produced concerns about the Mike Vrabel era despite offseason expectations. The Steelers present a strong challenge with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and the addition of D.K. Metcalf. T.J. Watt has been dominant, but multiple Pittsburgh defensive starters are injured and ruled out, including Isaiahh Loudermilk, Alex Highsmith, DeShon Elliott, Joey Porter Jr., and Max Scharping. Missing a starting safety and cornerback creates an offensive opportunity for the Patriots.
Read at Musket Fire
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]