Close look at defending champions
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When the New England Patriots unveil their sixth championship banner on Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a close-up view.
The last team to beat New England — in Week 15 last year — the Steelers missed the playoffs while the Patriots went back to the NFL title game for the second year in a row. Now, the only other franchise to win six Super Bowls will be in town for the defending champions’ season opener, as both teams begin their quest for a seventh.
“They are the world champs and we have to go to their place and do our best,” Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said this week as he prepared to start his 16th NFL season. “I think it is cool to be a part of, honestly. You go out there and you watch it and you channel it to say, ‘OK, that needs to be us next year.’ ”
Himself a two-time champion, Roethlisberger has watched some of his best chances to add another ring blocked by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in New England. The Patriots have knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs twice in the Big Ben era (and another on their way to their first title in 2001).
This season they will meet in Week 1. And maybe again in January.
“Those are lofty goals, and expectations are high for us and they’re high for them,” Brady said. “The NFL is tough. Every team starts at the bottom every year, and you can’t pick up where you left off last year. You have to earn it every day, and the competition has already started.”
Here are some other things to look for from Sunday night’s game: