A short week, a long layoff, and a game that feels tighter than the spread suggests - that’s the setup for Steelers-Patriots in Week 2.
New England comes in off a season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a game that went sideways when Drake Maye threw three interceptions. Now the Patriots get another tough test, this time against a Pittsburgh defense that was sharp in Week 1, holding Atlanta to just 4.2 yards per play in a win.
The Patriots are still favored at home, but they’re also dealing with a key setback: A.J. Brown, their major offseason addition, went down with an ankle injury in Week 1. That leaves New England needing someone else to rise up and help Maye avoid an 0-2 start.
Pittsburgh looks different, too. Mike McCarthy is now the Steelers’ head coach, and Aaron Rodgers has new help on offense in Rico Dowdle and Michael Pittman. Even so, the early returns on the Steelers’ offense have been rough, while the defense has been the steady part of the operation.
Both teams covered the spread in Week 1, but neither offense exactly lit it up. Pittsburgh ranked 30th in EPA/Play and New England sat 21st, which helps explain why this matchup carries a lower total than many other games on the Week 2 slate. It also landed in the group of seven games that went UNDER last week.
There’s also a split inside SI Betting on how this one plays out. Senior editor Iain MacMillan is backing the Patriots, and he pointed to Pittsburgh’s offensive numbers and New England’s ability to handle weaker opponents.
"The Steelers' offense ranks 29th in EPA per play, 30th in success rate, and 21st in DVOA. That's bad news for them now that they have to play an actual good team in the New England Patriots, who are coming off a mini-BYE.
I'm not concerned with A.J. Brown being out.
The Patriots won many games without him last season, and they can win games without him this season. I'm not also going to put too much into their Week 1 loss against the Super Bowl champions.
This team is built to beat up on inferior opponents, which is exactly what the Steelers are."
The other side of the argument is Pittsburgh’s defense, which looked the part in Week 1 and has enough bite to make this uncomfortable for New England. That’s why, even with both of us expecting the Patriots to win, the feeling here is that the Steelers can keep it close.
Pittsburgh’s offense remains the big concern, especially with Rodgers at this stage of his career. New England’s offense has more upside, but it didn’t show much of it against Seattle, and Maye has now had a rough stretch going back to last year’s playoffs.
In the end, the pick leans Patriots, but by a narrow enough margin that the Steelers can cover on the road.
In Other News...
Steelers Mourn The Loss Of An Early 1960s Standout
Jim Bradshaw, one of the Steelers early-1960s standouts in the secondary, has died at the age of 87, according to a social media post from his family. Bradshaw spent five seasons in Pittsburgh from 1963 through 1967, appearing in 62 NFL games and carving out a role as a safety after originally arriving as a quarterback.
His path through the league reflected the kind of versatility that defined so many players of that era, with the Steelers eventually shifting him into a defensive back role. Bradshaw was traded to the Browns after the 1967 season, but he did not end up playing a game for Cleveland before being cut, closing the book on a pro career that began with Pittsburgh and left its mark on the franchises early years. [Read more 🡒]
Joey Porter Jr. Just Gave Steelers Fans A Reason To Hope
Joey Porter Jr. has started to trend in the right direction for the Steelers as they prepare for their Week 2 matchup, with his practice workload increasing after opening the week in a limited capacity. Head coach Mike McCarthy said Porter is expected to do more in practice, which at least suggests the cornerback is making progress even if his status for game day is still unsettled.
The on-field ramp-up matters because Porters situation is about more than one week of preparation. Hes in the final year of his rookie deal, and while Pittsburgh still has control beyond this season through the usual mechanisms, the contract side of things remains unresolved. For now, the Steelers can at least take some comfort in seeing one of their top young defenders moving closer to full participation. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Starters Already Fighting To Keep Their Jobs In New England
The Steelers did not even get past their season opener before some of the conversation shifted from the result to the depth chart. As Pittsburgh gets ready for Week 2 against the New England Patriots, a handful of players are already under the kind of scrutiny that can change roles quickly if the early-season play does not sharpen up. Dylan Cook, Rayshawn Jenkins, Spencer Anderson, Asante Samuel Jr. and DK Metcalf are among the names being watched closely as the coaching staff weighs performance against trust.
For a team trying to settle into the year, that kind of pressure can make the next game feel a lot bigger than the calendar suggests. Week 2 is rarely where anyone wants to be sorting through starter questions, but that is the spot Pittsburgh is in after one game, with potential depth chart changes looming if those players do not answer the bell in New England. [Read more 🡒]