Gillette Stadium will set the stage for a marquee showdown between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers — two teams with serious playoff aspirations in the AFC. Drake Maye and company will need to take full advantage of playing at home, while Mike Tomlin knows there will be plenty to worry about on the other side of the ball.
Although Mike Vrabel’s team let a key opportunity slip away in Week 1 at home against the Raiders, they bounced back last weekend with an important divisional win over the Dolphins — and in both games, one key factor stood out: the ground attack.
Tomlin is a highly experienced coach in this league, and he’s already taken note of the areas where the Patriots can cause damage. He’ll need to double down on efforts in that department to avoid suffering the consequences of New England’s offensive threats.
“The running backs are a talented and deep group,” he stated via boston.com. “[Rhamondre] Stevenson’s been around for a number of years now, has been consistently productive in that time. They drafted [TreVeyon] Henderson out of Ohio State, he’s a very good top-end speed guy.”
Drake Maye’s impact
The Patriots not only boast a strong ground game, but they’re also entering Drake Maye’s second year in the league — and he already seems to have put his rookie season behind him, stepping up as the true leader of this team.
Tomlin is one of the most experienced figures in today’s NFL, and he knows firsthand just how much damage the former North Carolina signal-caller can inflict on his Steelers from the very first snap.
“He does a really good job of extending plays and making plays with his legs,” the head coach said of Maye.
Steelers’ upcoming games
With the primary goal of establishing themselves as one of the top contenders in the AFC North, these are the upcoming games the Pittsburgh Steelers have ahead of them:
- @ New England Patriots, September 21
- @ Minnesota Vikings, September 28
- Bye Week
- vs Cleveland Browns, October 12
- @ Cincinnati Bengals, October 16