Patriots-Steelers has Super implications
Super Bowls aren’t won in mid-December. Not usually, anyway.
But when the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers meet Sunday in Pittsburgh, there will be plenty at stake. It can be argued, in fact, that the winner of this game will emerge as the likely Super Bowl champion in February.
The Patriots and Steelers are, quite simply, the NFL’s two best teams. Sunday’s victor will have the upper hand to secure the top seed in the AFC playoffs and home field advantage for what, in all likelihood, will be a rematch in the AFC championship game.
That could spell the difference on the path to the Super Bowl, and the postseason survivor between the Patriots and Steelers likely will be the favorite in February. Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, for one, is not downplaying how meaningful this game is.
“If you set out on the season to be world champs, then obviously you’re going to play in significant games along the way,” Tomlin said in a conference call this week with Boston-area reporters. “The road gets increasingly narrow. That’s part of being on the pursuit of world championship play. So it’s ridiculous to goal-set and not to acknowledge natural things that occur along the way if you’re committed to the pursuit of your goals.”
The 11-2 Steelers have the AFC’s best record. But if the Patriots (10-3) prevail Sunday, they will pull even and own the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage.
The Steelers enter with an eight-game winning streak. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a 506-yard passing performance in Sunday night’s triumph over the Ravens. The Steelers’ offense is fully revved up, with wide receiver Antonio Brown and tailback Le’Veon Bell having standout seasons that put them in the league MVP conversation.
The MVP front-runner, now that Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz is hurt, probably is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. But all is not exactly well at the moment with Brady and the Patriots. Their offense was disjointed and out of sync as the Patriots lost Monday night at Miami, ending their winning streak at eight games.
Games to watch
PATRIOTS AT STEELERS: Maybe the Patriots’ loss in Miami meant everything. Perhaps it showed that the Patriots are unusually vulnerable as the regular season enters its stretch drive. Or maybe it meant nothing at all. The Patriots always seem to struggle at Miami, and they still can be the front-runner for the AFC’s top seed if they beat the Steelers.
EAGLES AT GIANTS: The Eagles have to demonstrate that they still can resemble a true No. 1 seed with Nick Foles taking over for Wentz at quarterback.
PACKERS AT PANTHERS: Aaron Rodgers says he’s not coming back to save the Packers’ season. Well, he’d better be. Someone needs to.
RAMS AT SEAHAWKS: If the Rams want to show they’ve taken over as the NFC West’s heavyweight, they must go to Seattle and win.
Games to miss
CARDINALS AT REDSKINS: What, exactly, is the compelling reason to pay attention to this one?
COWBOYS AT RAIDERS: It’s interesting to talk about the Cowboys still finding a way to sneak into the NFC playoffs. But it’s probably not going to happen.