Patriots Host the Steelers in the 2019 Opener; Three Keys to a Patriots Win

The Patriots will hoist another banner on Sunday night when they begin their 2019 season at home against one of their biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As always there’s questions about Tom Brady and the Pats offense, more so without the services of Rob Gronkowski who retired in February.

If you check the betting sites, the Pats are by many five to six point favorites to beat the Steelers, and the line should stay about that before the prime time kickoff on Sunday night.

It won’t be easy, as the Pats last season scored just 10 against the Steelers in what was their last loss of the season, but this time around they need a much better game plan against Mike Tomlin’s team.

1. Protect Tom

One huge aspect of the game last December was the fact that Tom Brady had a tough time with that Steelers defense rushing in and laying hits on him.

The line for the Pats lost some parts this offseason, but they have had some months to get together and make sure they are on the same page on Sunday night.

If they allow those Steelers linebackers to get in and get licks on Brady again, it could be a long day for the Pats offense.

2. Stop the Steelers Run Game

Last year without James Conner, the Steelers still ran all over the Pats with the help of Jaylen Samuels, who rushed for 142 yards and the team as a whole rushed for 158 in the seven-point win.

If you’re going to beat the Steelers, you have to make them one dimensional and force them into mistakes, that’s the best chance the Pats will have to win the game.

Also if you do get to Ben Roethlisberger, make sure you bring him down, as he’s always been a player who can make plays with his feet and make broken plays as well.

3. Watch the Penalties

Last year the Pats were terrible in their loss to the Steelers committing 14 penalties, a season high, for 106 yards.

The crowd at Heinz Field had a lot to do with the penalties, as there seemed to be a number of false starts as well as movement by the line on both offense and defense.

They have to be a lot more careful this time around, not falling for the Steelers quick counts, and playing at home will have a big benefit to that and the team should be more under control.

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