Experts share their picks for the Patriots' Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mike Reiss, ESPN:
Pick: Patriots 24, Steelers 17
Another big challenge for the offensive line, with Mike Vrabel noting that over the last five seasons T.J. Watt and Cameron Hayward have combined for 64 pass breakups as pass rushers.
Matt Bowen, ESPN: Patriots
Mike Clay, ESPN: Patriots
Chris Fowler, ESPN: Patriots
Dan Graziano, ESPN: Patriots
Kalyn Kahler, ESPN: Steelers
Pamela Maldonado, ESPN: Patriots
Eric Moody, ESPN: Patriots
Jason Reid, ESPN: Patriots
Ben Solak, ESPN: Patriots
Lindsey Thiry, ESPN: Steelers
Seth Wickersham, ESPN: Patriots
NFL.COM
Jeremy Bergman, NFL.com: Patriots 17, Steelers 9
Brooke Cersosimo, NFL.com: Patriots 22, Steelers 17
Gennaro Filice, NFL.com: Patriots 23, Steelers16
Bobby Kownack, NFL.com: Patriots 21, Steelers 16
Dan Parr, NFL.com: Patriots 20, Steelers 17
Why Gennaro picked the Patriots: Is New England doomed to suffer the infamous Super Bowl hangover? Last week's instant SB rematch was certainly headache-inducing for the franchise. In the first half, the Patriots struggled to sustain drives against a fierce Seahawks defense hell-bent on holding its ground after Sam Darnold's opening-drive injury. In the third quarter, the Pats lost A.J. Brown to injured reserve, and in the fourth quarter, Drake Maye lost the game with three interceptions. To his credit, last season's MVP runner-up immediately owned the meltdown postgame, saying his impatience cost the team a win. Patience is absolutely a virtue against this week's opponent. While the Steelers now have an offensive-minded head coach in Mike McCarthy, they still feature the same wildly opportunistic defense, with T.J. Watt’s pick-six powering Pittsburgh past Atlanta. To state the obvious, Maye MUST take care of the football, a directive Mike Vrabel's undoubtedly hammering home in the 10 days between last week's road collapse and this Sunday's home opener. With a more composed effort from the 24-year-old quarterback, the reigning AFC champs should be able to take care of business against a Steelers squad that looks like it will continue to live in the bottom half of the league offensively.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports:
Pick: Patriots 21, Steelers 14
New England has been off for a while since losing the opener to the Seahawks. The offense was bad that night. It will be better here. The Steelers didn't do much on offense in the victory over the Falcons, which I think will carry over in this one. This is a low-scoring game with the Pats winning it.
Jared Dubin, CBS Sports: Patriots
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Patriots
John Breech, CBS Sports: Patriots
Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports: Patriots
Dave Richard, CBS Sports: Patriots
Jamey Eisenburg, CBS Sports: Patriots
Pro Football Talk
Mike Florio: Patriots 16, Steelers 13
Paul Perillo, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 27, Steelers 16
Patriots defense forces some turnovers from Aaron Rodgers and the Patriots even their record at 1-1.
Mike Dussault, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 23, Steelers 13
At long last, a game against a team not named the Seahawks! The Patriots let the lessons of last week's loss, as well as last year's Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh, be the only guides they need. The run game gets going and Drake Maye reminds everyone how talented he is.
Evan Lazar, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 20, Steelers 13
I expect both offenses to struggle to move the ball for most of the game, but the Patriots and Drake Maye come to life offensively in a second-half bounce-back performance to get the win.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
