The Patriots Remain Undecided At Quarterback
The Patriots–Steelers Rivalry Will Continue on Thursday Night
The New England Patriots will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Thursday night rivalry game on Amazon Prime.
The Patriots–Steelers rivalry isn’t as competitive right now. However, it still has a rich history, with many massive games between these two AFC teams in the postseason.
It’s been a bit crazy this year. The Steelers have allowed more points and more yards but have a 7-5 record. Meanwhile, the Patriots have gone 2-10 and are approaching the No. 1 spot in the next NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh has finally regressed, while the Patriots haven’t been good all year.
Still, the Steelers are -6, with the total sitting at 30.5 (-115). Oddsmakers don’t expect much scoring.
Ultimately, both NFL teams have combined to hit the Over in only five of 19 games this season.
Let’s look at the early Patriots–Steelers rivalry matchup for Thursday.
New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers 
Day/Time: Location: Acrisure Stadium
Streaming: Prime Video
Patriots-Steelers Rivalry Trends
Not only are the Patriots 2-10 on the season, but they’re also 2-10 against the spread this year. The Patriots have had a couple of recent games where they were favorites. However, New England has lost five straight games, failing to cover any of those last five games.
As suggested above, New England has also hit the Under in eight of their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Steelers have hit the Under in nine of their last ten games.
Pittsburgh is 7-5 against the spread this year. So, like the Patriots, the Steelers have also covered the same amount of games as they’ve won straight up.
Recently, the Patriots have owned this rivalry. New England has won eight of their last ten games. However, the Steelers have only defeated the Patriots once since 2011.
On the other hand, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger are no longer around for their respective teams. So those trends and stats don’t mean much anymore.
The Patriots Are Historically Bad
New England’s head coach, Bill Belichick, could do no wrong… until he could.
The Patriots are currently in last place in the NFL scoring average, earning 12.3 points per game. They’re on the lowest pace since the 2011 Rams, who added 12.1 points per game.
Meanwhile, the New England defense has done its part. They’ve held opponents to ten or fewer points in the last three games.
No team since the Chicago Cardinals in 1938 lost three straight games when holding opponents to ten or fewer points.
The Patriots have tried Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at quarterback. Neither has come through. Could it be time for Malik Cunningham’s shot?
Cunningham is more of a dual-threat quarterback that could spark the offense. However, he’s got no experience in the NFL as a quarterback, while Jones and Zappe do.
Kenny Pickett Has Undergone Ankle Surgery
Pittsburgh’s quarterback, Kenny Pickett, will be out for a few weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in Pittsburgh’s game against the Cardinals.
The Steelers and Cardinals were playing in a game with terrible weather that delayed the game twice. That certainly didn’t help Pickett’s ankle.
Pickett just underwent ankle surgery and will miss some time. However, the Steelers will not put him on injured reserve. That suggests he could be back before four weeks is up.
For now, Mitch Trubisky will get the start for the Steelers. He’s a quarterback who can keep the Steelers in the playoff race. He’s got experience and was with the team all of last year, too. That should help him get accustomed quickly in this offense as the backup.
Backup vs. Backup
The Patriots haven’t announced their quarterback yet. However, no matter who it is, the New England offense likely won’t have much success.
The Patriots have scored 13.45 points per game. They’ve added under 200 yards of passing per game and haven’t even eclipsed 100 yards rushing per game.
Mac Jones probably gives the Patriots more potential. However, it was Bailey Zappe who played last week. It’s hard to bench a player one week and then return to him the following week. It’s a mental hurdle for a guy like Jones if he’s asked to perform again.
With Pittsburgh allowing only 18.64 points per game, the Patriots will likely have another awful game on offense. At times, Pittsburgh’s run defense can be suspect, as they’ve allowed 118.36 yards per game on the ground. However, the pass rush and secondary are playing much better in the second half of the season.
However, the Pittsburgh offense has been almost as bad as New England. The Steelers have already fired their former offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, and just mustered up 10 points against a below-average Cardinals defense.
The Steelers will likely call a better game offensively, but it’s hard to imagine we get much scoring in this game.
The Patriots and Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins in the NFL’s history. The Patriots have no shot at one this year, with ten losses. However, the Steelers are still in the playoff race.
That’s why I’ll back the Steelers at -6 when looking at the NFL picks against the spread. The NFL scores haven’t been pretty between the Steelers and Patriots. This one won’t be either. But the Steelers should score a touchdown or two to cover against the spread.
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