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When did the Steelers become so mighty?

Dec 7th, 2007 by Bill Burt

You’ve heard about the Patriots slump (despite the wins), the fact that other teams have a blueprint for stopping their defense, the Patriots can’t stop the run, their linebackers are old and the Steelers have the No. 1 defense.
All of those factors have validity when deciphering what will happen at Gillette Stadium from 4:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The Patriots have not looked great lately. Their precision on offense isn’t so precise. And they really did look “soft,” relatively speaking of course, the last two games.

But here are a few other trends to consider:

1. Pittsburgh isn’t that good.
They are 9-3, but upon further review they have only beaten two teams with a record above .500, Cleveland (twice) and Seattle.
And they’ve lost to, get this, the N.Y. Jets (19-16), Arizona (21-14) and Denver (31-28), all on the road.
The Jets? You’ve got to be kidding me. And that was only three weeks ago.
Worse, they needed a last second field goal to beat Miami in that washout game, 3-0, two weeks ago.
Pittsburgh is good. They’re not that good.

2. The Patriots have not lost.
I know this is subject people don’t want to discuss, but the Patriots are unbeaten. They won last week in Baltimore, a game the Ravens treated like a Super Bowl. The same with the Eagles the week before, who were 24-point underdogs. They didn’t take that lightly, but in the end the Patriots gutted it out. Isn’t that what great teams do? Win when you don’t play well.
Granted they haven’t looked great and there are a few concerns, primarily on defense, but the Patriots have a history of winning championships in ugly fashion.

3. The Patriots don’t lose at home.
When the Patriots have been great this century (2003 and 2004) they had a common denominator: 0. That is zero losses at home.
Every other season, even when the Patriots have been good or very good, they have lost a few at home. Even last year, they lost three games at Gillette Stadium.
The point is when the Patriots have been great, they have been great at home. The Eagles game, I believe, was the exception and not the rule.

4. Patriots pride.
The Patriots are not only being reviled, but they are being questioned. The Steelers are playing the Patriots at the wrong time. They do have a lot to prove.
If the Patriots were to lose, and I’m not saying that is an impossibility, my guess is they would drop down the Indy and Dallas level. They realize that.
The Patriots have a lot to lose if they lose. This factor might be as important as any in the Patriots performance.

I will predict a score later today. But you can probably see where I am going with this.

What are your thoughts?

Posted in Patriots | View Comments

  • http://monkeesfan.blogspot.com Mike Daly

    A couple of other things to keep in mind -

    1 – New England owns this rivalry now. Since Drew Bledsoe and Curtis Martin destroyed the Steelers in the 1996 playoffs, the Patriots have owned this rivalry, beating them in 1998, 2001 (with two quarterbacks), 2002, 2004, and 2005.

    2 – The Steelers can be thrown on. They should have lost the second Cleveland game because the Browns were able to score through the air on them and also score on returns, both Patriot strengths. The Steelers have also been shaky in the last four games, giving up 16 sacks and five Roethlisberger INTs.

  • http://www.myspace.com/raypowersmusic Ray Powers

    Why not be wise and save the assessment for January?
    PIT-NE might meet again in the playoffs, and if Troy Polamalu is back in the secondary, it’s obviously a much better Steeler defense.
    Remember what happened in ’04 when the Steelers snapped the Pats’ regular season streak, only to be schooled in the AFC title game, when the Pats were healthy again?
    There’s a month and a half to go.
    Lots of time.
    Let’s revisit then.

  • http://www.myspace.com/raypowersmusic Ray Powers

    Pats fans also need to pray for cold, yet clear weather for the playoffs, or home-field advantage might be anything but an advantage.
    A rainy, snowy or sleety game would benefit a team like the Steelers.
    Brady passed at will on a Troy-less Steeler D, but the Pats still could not run on them.
    Can’t win a poor-weather game if you can’t run.
    Better add that dimension to their game, or they’ll soon find they turned into the Colts – a team that can’t win in winter elements.

  • http://blogs.eagletribune.com/sports/ Bill Burt

    Ray
    As then-Arizona coach Dennis Green said last year, pounding the podium after his Cardinals lost a heart-breaker to the Bears …”They are who we thought they were!”
    I realize the Steelers weren’t at full-strength on Sunday, which played a little into my predicition, but they are not an elite team, period.
    They are good.
    As for your poor weather point, the Patriots have shown that they can move the ball through the air in snow or rain. Remember, their passing offense runs a lot of plays that are like a running game — short passes in slot.
    The Colts scenario is interesting. I believe they are the only team that could play with the Patriots with everything on the line. But I would still give edge to Brady. We will see, though.
    Quit obsessing about the Patriots running the ball. It hasn’t matter thus far.
    As for Steelers, they have a tough game against the Jaguars. They had better win that game.
    Steelers fans, like yourself, are as loyal as they come. I’ll give you that.

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