Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

December 13, 2018 at 12:54 am.

Yet another critical Patriots-Steelers battle

The time has come. It is the annual Patriots-Steelers game. The Steelers are not a division opponent, but they might as well be.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said the past does not matter and he is only focused on this game. But the Patriots must be confident knowing that karma works in their favor in Pittsburgh.

Last year, the Patriots took a three-point lead late in the game – only to have JuJu Smith-Schuster make a long catch and run. The Steelers thought they had won when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown pass to Jesse James. Then, something happened and it was ruled that James didn’t survive the ground. Incomplete pass. Fans at Heinz Field were stunned. The Patriots had new life. Two plays later, Roethlisberger threw an interception. Never before had a stadium gone from such elation to despair.

This is a tough game to predict because the Steelers have lost three games in a row. Each game was a heartbreaking loss. The Steelers are motivated because they likely need to win one of their next two games to win the AFC North. On the other hand, the Patriots are 3-4 on the road and have lost to four teams who have been either mediocre or bad this season. The challenge for the Patriots will be the Steelers have two really good receivers in Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster who will the test the Patriots secondary unlike any other group of receivers this season. The Patriots must get more of a pass rush against the Steelers and show they can stop a top-notch receiving corps.

SERIES HISTORY: 27th regular-season meeting. Steelers lead series, 14-12. The last time these two teams played was in 2017 when the Patriots won 27-24. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have had great success against the Steelers. Belichick is 11-3 (with the Patriots) and Tom Brady is 11-2. The Patriots have beaten the Steelers three times in the AFC Championship Game and each time they won the Super Bowl. The Patriots are 4-1 against the Steelers in the playoffs including three playoff victories in the Brady-Belichick era. The Patriots first home playoff win of the Bill Parcells era came against the Steelers in the 1996 season.