Pittsburgh 34 @ New England 31: The NFL season begins
tonight, and with it my weekly picks. The opening game is a good one between
the defending Super Bowl champs, off a postseason of deflate-gate and departing
defenders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots are virtually unbeatable in
home openers and will be hoping the friendly Gillette Stadium crowd can help
them overcome the loss of both starting cornerbacks, Darrelle Revis and Brandon
Browner, and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork from their championship defensive
unit. The Pats generally bounce back
pretty quickly from personnel shuffling, but those are big holes to fill. The
Steelers have their own problems, with Le’Veon Bell, their top rusher serving a
two-game suspension and center Maurkice Pouncey out for close to half the
season with an injured ankle. I have a hard time, with the way QB Ben Roethlisberger
and Antonio Brown can put up big yards in the passing game, understanding how New England is a seven point favorite. Big Ben is playing at a high level and the
Patriots haven’t had that much time to rebuild its secondary. The biggest loss
is Pouncey, but if this turns into a shootout, which I think is probable, my money is on the Steelers.
Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords. The third installment, "Offsetting Penalties" is due out in the fall.
No comments:
Post a Comment