FOXBORO — The attention surrounding the New England Patriots the past few days has been centered around the back injury quarterback Mac Jones suffered in last Sunday's 20-7 season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins and the illness that caused Jones to miss practice Thursday.
Much talk, and rightfully so, has been about whether or not this Patriots team is playoff caliber. With an offense being implemented by a couple of unproven coaches, there is certainly some reason for concern.
But regardless of how quickly New England's downward season-opening spiral has tumbled, there's still a game to be played Sunday. And they don't come much tougher than this.
The Patriots will be making the trip to Acrisure Stadium to face off against one of the league's most dangerous defenses in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There are different circumstances for both these teams entering Week 2. For starters, the Steelers were able to squeeze out an overtime victory, whereas the Patriots' offense struggled to find a rhythm. Considering what New England has been through in the past week combined with a vigorous Steelers team that won a Week 1 thriller, Bill Belichick expects some emotional play on Sunday.
"I'm sure they'll be a lot of energy in Pittsburgh on Sunday," Belichick said. "So we have to be ready to deal with that, but it will be a good football game in all three phases to be competitive and that's what we're working towards."
The Patriots were two big plays away from possibly leaving South Florida with a different outcome. The first-quarter interception in the endzone, combined with the Dolphins' second-quarter strip-sack and score were game-changing plays.
So what's Belichick's assessment of a Pittsburgh defense that could present even more challenges than Miami?
"Just overall a good complimentary defense," Belichick said. "Linebackers were fast. They have a good front. They play a lot of people. Their secondary is kind of a ball-hawking secondary. They go after the ball, read the quarterback well, and do a good job of breaking on the throw and closing space quickly."
Though it's been three years since the last time the Patriots played the Steelers, Belichick acknowledged the changes since the last time he saw them.
"Obviously, [Cameron] Heyward is one of the best in the league," Belichick said. "Good outside rushers, [T.J.] Watt, [Alex] Highsmith last week. Then they blitz their secondary a decent amount, enough to keep you honest. And the linebackers are fast, [Devin] Bush, [Myles] Jack, [Robert] Spillane, they've got a whole bunch of them."
One obvious change for the Steelers since the last time they played the Patriots is at quarterback. Future Hall of Famer, Ben Roethlisberger is long gone after announcing his retirement. The Steelers did spend a first-round pick on former University of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett, but until he is ready, it'll be the Mitch Trubisky show.
Despite the dropoff at quarterback, the Steelers have an excellent group of pass catchers with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, rookie George Pickens, and tight end Pat Freiermuth. Cornerbacks Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones will have their hands full for a second straight week after dealing with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The Steelers are dealing with injuries to T.J. Watt and Najee Harris, but the Patriots look like a team desperately searching for its identity. Even so, New England is a 2.5-point favorite. The game kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m.
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