Patriots catch a break on review, extend lead

With six Super Bowl rings between them, both have proven they can play under pressure. Pittsburgh, however, has always been considered to have the best chance of upsetting the Patriots before the Super Bowl.

So’s this. The last eight quarterbacks the Patriots have faced did not scare a single defence in 2016. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons has two sacks for a Steelers defense that has recorded 31 sacks during a nine-game winning streak. Obviously Big Ben is going to make some pretty decent throws, but not the way Tom Brady will. If you’re looking for a way to watch Belichick’s press conference immediately following the AFC Championship, you can check out the live stream information below.

Although the Steelers outscored the Patriots, 9-7, in the second quarter, Brady again connected with Hogan, this time for a 34-yard touchdown that capped off a nine-play, 82-yard drive and gave the Patriots a 17-9 advantage heading into the halftime break. The Steelers won’t squander those the way the Texans did.

Atlanta has been an offensive juggernaut since the opening snap last September and averaged a NFL-best 33.8 points per game. Since this game is for all the marbles you have to think there will be more intensity on the defensive side of the ball. Even Blount has a chance to be the hero.

New England won each of those games.

Other inactive players for the Patriots are rookie cornerback Cyrus Jones, tackle LaAdrian Waddle, cornerback Justin Coleman, rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett, receiver D.J. Foster and safety Jordan Richards. Those numbers do not include New England’s 27-16 victory at Heinz Field in October, of course, since the Steelers quarterback missed that game with a knee injury.

Not that the New England Patriots are about to feel sorry for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh could not get its offense going, and its defense had no answer for Brady in the second half. The meeting in October totalled 65 points. “After Atlanta’s impressive wood-shedding of the Packers, we were thinking of New England -2.5″. Brady’s career numbers are significantly worse when Gronkowski is out of the lineup, and that trend has continued this season. I could have switched up, given the in-season struggles that caused each team to have to take a tougher route to the final game, but what fun would that be? In Brady’s other eight starts, he reached that mark (124.2) just twice, posting a rating of less than 90.0 on three occasions. The two conference title games also serve as rematches from the regular season.

Yes, the Steelers could have an opportunity to win their seventh championship, which would be two more than the 49ers, but I’d really rather it be Pittsburgh than Dallas having more (I was really happy they lost) or the Patriots pulling even.