Keys to a Steeler win against the Patriots

With a combined 7 Super Bowl appearances since 2001, these two teams have defined greatness in the AFC and the NFL.  Now, Tom Brady comes into Heinz Field with a record of 6-1 against the Steelers. The Patriots are the one team the Steelers have had virtually no success against and last year's 39-26 Patriots win at Heinz Field proves just that.  But I got a feeling this year will be different and here's why.......

1.) Big Ben

• The Steelers have to put the ball in Ben's hands to be able to win this game.  This is the most explosive offense that Ben has ever had and they need to let him utilize it to try and make some plays.  The Patriots secondary is suspect and we finally have the receivers to exploit them.  No matter what we do on defense, Brady is still going to put up points.  That means we have to put points up of our own, we have to answer them every time down the field.  I'm not saying we need to completely abandon the run.  The running game is also crucial to control the clock and keep Brady off the field. The more Brady is off the field, the better, but we also need to let Roethlisberger do his thing and make plays with his arm.  The NFL is a passing league now and the only way we are going to hang with the vaunted Patriots offense is by fighting fire with fire.  Ben needs to take control of this game early, get into a rhythm with his receivers, and show Brady why he has won 2 super bowls since Bradys won his last in 2004.  

2.) The Steelers defense must change.

• The Patriots west coast offense is the kryptonite of Dick's Lebeau's zone blitzing Superman. With quick accurate throws, Brady picks these Steelers apart.  Lebeau can't let that happen this year and if that means changing his zone scheme to a more man to man then he will have to do just that.  It seems Lebeau has been stubborn to change against the Patriots and I have no idea why.  A more man to man scheme will take away those quick outs and force Brady to make the long, tough throw.  The Steelers corners cannot give that 10 yard cushion because Brady will take it every time.  They need to get up on the line and be physical with the smaller receivers, Welker and Branch. Also, the Patriots love to exploit match-ups with running backs and tight ends.  Last year, Rob Gronkowski had 5 receptions for 71 yard and 3 touchdown's.  Apparently, Belichick game planned to throw to the tight end in key situations and it worked flawlessly.  Lebeau cannot be afraid to use 2 or 3 more cornerbacks on each given play.  Farrior and Timmons on Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Woodhead is a mismatch and Brady will find them if the linebackers are in man to man coverage.  So, I'll leave this point with one word of advice to Dick Lebeau, Adapt. 

3.) Young Money

• The self proclaimed receiving corps of the Steelers are getting a lot of hype these days, and deservingly so. Young Money has over 25 receptions of over 20 yards and with the Patriots being last in the league in pass defense, giving up 322 yards per game, look for Big Ben to take a couple deep shots down the field.    

• Lets look at Mike Wallace first.  Mr. Wallace has been a terror on opposing secondarys so far this year.  He's currently third in receiving yards with 730 while averaging 20.4 yards per catch.  If you're the opposing defense you have to account for Mike Wallace every time he's on the field and if you match him up one on one with one of your corners, well good luck to you.  The only person that might be able to stick with Wallace stride for stride is the Flash. He leads the NFL with 6 catches for more than 40 yards with his long being a 95 yard streak last Saturday against the Cardinals.  The knock on Wallace his first couple years in the league was that all he can do is run that go route and just use his speed to beat defenders.  Sure, he can do that better than anyone in the league, but this year he has been more of a possession receiver as well, especially in the games against Baltimore and Houston when he consistently moved the chains without getting a deep ball.  Wallace has that rare ability to make a corner think he has him covered one second and the next second Wallace is 3 yards passed him ready to break loose.  He's growing more and more as a receiver and soon this league won't know how to stop him.  Book it.  

• Next, lets look at Antonio Brown.  Brown was barely used in the passing game last year having only 16 catches for 167 yards. Just to show you how little that number is, Mewelde Moore managed to pull down 26 catches for 206 yards.  Well, the days of Mewelde out receiving Antonio are over.  Brown already has 25 catches for 364 yards this year in only 7 games.  He has overshadowed Emmanuel Sanders and is challenging both Sanders and Ward on who is going to play second fiddle to Wallace.  Brown has already shown his clutchness/dependency last year in the playoffs when he made that ridiculous grab to basically beat the Ravens and when he made the game clinching first down against the Jets.  Not to mention that Brown is one of the most dynamic return men in the game.  He usually always makes the first guy miss and is a threat to take to the house every time he touches the ball.  Get this guy into open space and he's lethal.  

• Finally, we make our way to Emmanuel Sanders.  Sanders came storming out of the gates last year as a rookie making 28 catches for 376 yards.  So far this year he's been overshadowed by Brown, but that doesn't take away from his spectacular rookie season last year.  He shattered everyone's expectations and was a key possession receiver that helped us get to the Super Bowl.  Injuries began to plague Sanders last year and have continued to slow him down so far this year, but he has continued to fight through it and is finally looking to be 100%.  He can be just as dynamic as Brown when healthy and every one of these 3 receivers can run right by you if your not careful.  The Steelers have managed to draft a track team that is ready to run at all times.  

P.S.- Remember the last time the Patriots came to Pittsburgh on Halloween?  It was back in 2004 and the Patriots came into Heinz Field in the midst of a NFL record 21 game win streak.  The Steelers came out and smacked them 34-20 and the game wasn't even that close.  All I have to say is history has a tendency to repeat itself.  Here we go.

By: Jon and Jeff Gingell