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The 2022 regular season is here, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the New England Patriots in Week 2. While the Steelers get ready for their first home game of the season, it is time for the BTSC staff to put on their prognostication hats and guess the winner of the contest.
Who will get closest? We will be keeping tabs, so let’s get the picks. Check out the staff picks below:
Jeff Hartman
The Steelers are coming off a crazy, and riveting, win in Week 1 over the Bengals, and you have to think their return back to Pittsburgh will be a welcome sight. But we thought that in 2021 when they returned home after beating the Buffalo Bills on the road only to lose to the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, their long-time nemesis, the New England Patriots, stand in the way of their 2-0 start. While I think the Patriots are a good team, I think the Steelers are better in almost all phases I have the Steelers’ defense providing enough short fields for the offense to navigate their way to victory.
Pick: Steelers 23, Patriots 17
Dave Schofield
I’m not falling for this again! Last year I picked the Steelers to lose their opening contest as they were big underdogs on the road and they came through with the win. Then I turned around to pick them to win at home the next week, as did EVERY other BTSC staff member making picks, and they lost. The 2022 season is following suit so far, so I must not. I must break the cycle. I must make a change. This is for you, Steelers’ Nation. You’re welcome.
Pick: Patriots 17, Steelers 14
Bryan Anthony Davis
The New England Patriots are always going to be a dangerous team, especially when Bill Belichick is the head coach. I just feel like for the home opener that the Steelers can get it together and go to 2-0. I feel like the defense is going to continue to dominate, even without T.J. Watt. They’re not going to get brakes this week like they did last week, however if the offense of line gets it together, giving Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren some room to run, Mitch Trubisky and his stable of receivers could thrive.
Pick: Steelers 30, Patriots 19
K.T. Smith
Last season, the Steelers opened with a road upset at Buffalo then came home and laid an egg in Week 2 against the Raiders. This year, they opened with a road upset at Cincinnati then came home and…
I’m not really sure what comes next. The Steelers are bad on offense and great on defense. That screams mediocrity. Can a mediocre team start 2-0? Well, when the opponent is the New England Patriots, who are equally inept at moving the football, I think so. For fans who enjoy punts, this should be a beauty. But, in the end, I think the Steelers make enough meaningful plays to earn the victory.
Pick: Steelers 20, Patriots 16
Geoffrey Benedict
A great chance for the offense to rebound from their disappointing Week 1 performance. The question is how quickly can the offense gain some chemistry and work together effectively. I’m not worried about the defense, but without T.J. Watt the offense will need to do much more than they did against the Bengals.
Pick: Steelers 24, Patriots 20
Rich Schofield (Big Bro Scho)
The Patriot’s defense is not of the same mold as the Bengals, so the offense will have the opportunity to improve on what was a lackluster performance last week. I also feel the Patriots offense does not possess the number and quality of weapons the Steelers had to face last week. The Defense does have to figure out how to get it done without DPOY T.J. Watt on the field for the next few weeks, but the Patriots might be a good offense to go up against to start doing that. That being said the Pats still have the Hoodie roaming their sidelines, and we know he has a knack for getting it done against the Steelers. In the end, superior talent wins out and the Steelers get the W.
Pick: Steelers 23, Patriots 19
Shannon White
Back in my younger days, the Steelers used to own the Patriots. Then the Brady/Belichick union happened, and the Patriots have dominated the Steelers ever since. I realize that Tommy Boy and the Hoodie are no longer an item, but as long as Belichick roams the sidelines, the Patriots are dangerous. This game features two great head coaches in Mike Tomlin and Belichick, but even the best coaches have to have the horses to win the race. Thankfully, I believe that the Steelers have the more talented horses.
Pick: Steelers 23, Patriots 17
Jeremy Betz
No T.J. Watt, no problem for the Steelers defense this week against a struggling Patriots attack. The Steelers will have to find ways to manufacture pressure without the 2021 DPOY, but I believe in Teryl Austin and Brian Flores to scheme up a winning plan on that side of the ball.
For the offense, it’s about figuring out how to get Najee Harris going effectively early on in the contest. That will open up the entire offense, where I believe the Steelers pass-catchers are a mismatch for New England’s inexperienced secondary.
Pick: Steelers 24, Patriots 17
Bradley Locker
I was very surprised to see the Steelers listed as underdogs for this contest given how this matchup plays into Pittsburgh’s strengths. All offseason, the Patriots’ offense has been under fire, from having no defined coordinator to few established playmakers. Those concerns became very real on Saturday, when New England scored just seven points, collected only 271 yards and posted -8.28 expected offensive points. Even without T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the rest of Pittsburgh’s stout defense should generally contain the Patriots’ offense and elevate Mike Tomlin’s squad to victory (yet again).
Pick: Steelers 20, Patriots 13
Kyle Chrise (What Yinz Talkin’ Bout)
Here’s the easiest prediction to make about Sunday: this game will be remembered as the day the fans chanted “Kenny” at the first sign of offensive adversity. Mitch won’t just be going up against Bill Belichick, he’ll be facing the fickle whims of the Acrisure Army. They’re looking for any reason to give Kenny the keys. It’s going to take the power of “Renegade” to remind fans who they’re rooting for. Meanwhile, Boswell’s game-winning campaign continues.
Pick: Steelers 16, Patriots 13
Anthony Defeo
Former Major League baseball pitching great and current Red Sox color analyst, Dennis Eckersley, recently described the Pirates’ roster and approach to rebuilding as a “hodgepodge of nothingness.” You could say the same thing about the offense the New England Patriots will bring to Acrisure Stadium this Sunday. The Steelers may be without T.J. Watt for some time. Still, they may have enough firepower to stifle the offense of the Patriots, a team that decided to use a first-round pick on a quarterback in 2021—Mac Jones—but didn’t bother to give him any explosive skill-position players to work with. New England does have a stout defense, but I look for the Steelers' defense to have the better unit on Sunday and be the difference in a close win.
Pick: Steelers 17, Patriots 14
What is your prediction? Let us know in the comment section below, and feel free to tell the contributors above why they are dead wrong, or spot on!
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