Patriots Must Stay Focused Against Steelers
Patriots vs. Steelers; at the start of the season this game should have been circled on the calendar as a marquee matchup. Two AFC powerhouses going at it. Neither side would have any trouble staying focused or getting jacked up for this game. But things are different now. This game went from being a marquee matchup to a trap game for the New England Patriots.
Ben Roethlisberger tore his meniscus last week against the Dolphins, and will not play against the Patriots. Without Big Ben, the Steelers will start Landry Jones at quarterback. Jones is obviously a huge downgrade from Roethlisberger, but that does not mean the Patriots can take the Steelers lightly.
Pittsburgh is 4-2 and coming off a terrible loss to the Miami Dolphins. There is no doubt they are going to want to bounce back from such a pathetic showing. Also, they are still a really good team and lead their division. Big Ben may be out, but the rest of the stars are still there. Backup quarterbacks can be successful when they have talent around them. Landry Jones isn't great, but he isn't a scrub. He still has Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell to work with.
The Patriots can't approach this game like they can just show up and win. Sometimes teams get a little lackadaisical when their opponent doesn't have their starting quarterback. The Patriots have to stay focused. I fully expect the Patriots to win this game, and I think they will play well. Bill Belichick is the best coach in the NFL and Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL. Neither of those guys are going to allow the team to slack off. The Patriots have to work just as hard as they normally would to win this game. I expect them to do that. But if they don't, this is a perfect example of a trap game, and they will lose.
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