By John Sarianides
The Patriots and Steelers are meeting for the third time in an AFC Championship game. The winner of this game will be playing in a record ninth Super Bowl two weeks from today.
The Lead: The Pittsburgh Steelers will face off against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. This is the third time the two teams are meeting in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots beat the Steelers in 2001 and 2004.
Tonight’s meeting will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams as well. The Patriots beat the Steelers 27-16 in Week 8 however Pittsburgh was without Ben Roethlisberger.
Expect a different type of game tonight between these two evenly matched teams. Here are three keys for both teams.
Three Keys for the Steelers
1. Lean on LeVeon: LeVeon Bell has been the epitome of a bell cow back in these playoffs. He has truly carried the load for the Steelers, especially last week. The Steelers will lean on Bell once again this week. Pittsburgh will go offensively as he goes.
2. Big Ben Must Make Good Decisions: As great as Ben Roethlisberger can be, he does have a tendency to make bad decisions, especially on the road. He cannot force things in this game. He has to be patient, take what the defense gives him and protect the football. If he turns the ball over two or more times, the Steelers will get blown out.
3. Bring the Heat: If I am Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler, I blitz five or more guys seventy percent of the time tonight. I would get after Tom Brady and throw him off of his spot. As we saw last week, Brady doesn’t like to get hit and when he does, he starts complaining to the officials. Get after him and get in his head!
Three Keys for the Patriots
1. Pass Pro Must Be Better: Tom Brady took a beating last week against the Texans. The Steelers will bring a lot of pressure in this game. It is imperative that the offensive line pass protects better and gives Brady time. If Brady is given time, he can pick apart the Steelers vulnerable secondary.
2. Ground It And Pound It! LeGarrette Blount was not a factor last week against the Texans but that won’t be the case in this game. I would expect him to be a much bigger part of this game plan. Blount had 24 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting between these two teams. Look for him to get at least 20 carries as the Patriots will try to get physical with the Steelers.
3. Win the Line of Scrimmage On Defense: The Patriots need to win the line of scrimmage defensively. They must limit LeVeon Bell’s ability to make cuts and get to the second level. If the Patriots can control the line of scrimmage defensively and take Bell out of the game, they could put pressure on Roethlisberger and the Steelers passing game.
Prediction: Patriots 27 Steelers 20: I think this is going to be a back and forth affair. It’ll be a tight game throughout but in the end, I think the Patriots will make more plays offensively and get key stops defensively in the fourth quarter. That will be the difference in what should be a great AFC Championship game.