This Sunday the (0-1) New England Patriots and the (1-0) Pittsburgh Steelers will square off in the second week of the 2022 NFL season. Kick-off will be at 1:00 PM EST inside Acrisure Stadium. Both of these teams struggled at different times in week 1, as they will both look to be cleaner in this one.
The New England Patriots are coming into this one after falling to the Miami Dolphins in the first week of the season. The Patriots lost 20-7, as they struggled to consistently move the ball down the field. They will need to score more points against the Steelers if they want to have a chance in week 2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering this one after taking down the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steeler's defense showed up in the first half, as they continued to create turnovers. They will be looking to keep that trend going in this one, as their defense will have to come up big if they want to s low down the Pats.
The New England Patriots' offense did not perform how they would have liked in the first week of the season. They will now be looking to bounce back, as they only scored 7 points against the Dolphins. The Patriots also only threw for 213 yards, as Mac Jones was inconsistent in different parts of that game. Jones finished with 213 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. According to ESPN.com, New England recorded 291 total yards of offense, as they struggled to move the ball on the ground. They only ran for 78 yards, as Damien Harris was their leading rusher with 48 yards. The offensive line for the Pats was decent, but they couldn't create big enough holes for their running backs to bust off big gains. They also allowed two sacks, as Mac Jones was feeling the pressure for the majority of the game. New England also turned the ball over three times against the Dolphins, as they weren't securing the football. Jones threw the on e pick, but they also lost two fumbles. They will need to hold onto the ball if they want to challenge the Steelers on the road.
The New England defense had a difficult time slowing down Tua and the Dolphin's passing attack, as they surrendered 20 points. Tua Tagovailoa finished the game with 270 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, as he was dicing up the New England secondary. The Patriots gave up 335 total yards of offense, as they did look solid against the run. They only allowed the Dolphins to run for 65 yards, as their front seven and linebackers were flying around the field. Miami only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. They didn't force any turnovers either, as the Dolphins controlled the ball for more than half of this game. New England also recorded three sacks, as their defensive line was continuing to put pressure on Tua. The Dolphins did have success moving the ball through the air, though. The Pats gave up 270 passing yards, as Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill continued to gash them for big plays. They have to be better against the pass if they want to challenge the Steelers.