Keep the momentum going.
The New England Patriots managed to find themselves in the win column last week for first time this season.
They will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since 2022!
Here is how I see them matching up against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Drake Maye, Is he a Man-Beater?
The Steelers have been one of the heaviest man coverage teams in the league this season – 41%, or sixth highest.
It will be interesting to see if they continue this trend, as the numbers paint a bleak image of their coverage, with them giving up explosive pass plays (20+ yards) at the highest rate in the league.
When their poor man coverage play is coupled with a quarterback like Drake Maye, who demonstrated that he is not afraid to take off and run, this could be a recipe for disaster for the black and gold.
It will be fascinating to see how the Steelers elect to play against a Patriots offense, who impressed last week, and will hope to continue that form against an underperforming Pittsburgh defense.
Can we rattle Rodgers?
Aaron Rodgers’ arm looks as good as ever, but his athleticism appears to be rapidly in decline.
Based on the eye test and the stats, he is not moving like he once was. He is getting caught in his escape attempts and his pressure-to-sack rate is top five in the league (30.4%). This means that when pressure is coming, he one of the poorest quarterbacks in the league at avoiding it.
As a result, the road map to besting Rodger and the Pittsburgh offense seems to be playing tight man coverage early in the snap and getting pressure on an immobile Rodgers.
The key to winning this game will likely be involve the Patriots re-vamped and expensive defensive line making Rodgers uncomfortable and the Pats secondary holding up man coverage for as long as possible.
However, with All-Pro Corner Christian Gonzalez still out of the line-up for this game, holding up in man coverage against DK Metcalf and co. will be a tough ask.
Patriots to take a tough contest, 31-27.
