Thursday's matchup in Pittsburgh could provide deja vu for the Patriots

Just like that, it's Week 14 in the NFL, and there is an extra special treat for all football fans on Thursday night football. The New England Patriots will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. That's right, it's the 2-10 Patriots and the 7-5 Steelers on Primetime television.

This game should be a complete snooze fest.

Both the Patriots and Steelers come limping into this matchup, as Pittsburgh lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to an ankle injury and the Patriots lost running back Rhamondre Stevenson to a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss a couple of weeks.

With that being said, what can be expected from the Patriots, and how can they stop T.J. Watt from sacking whoever will be under center multiple times?

If anything, the Patriots could see the same amount of offensive production from Week 2 of last season, where they came out on top 17-14 to get their first win of the 2022 season. On that day, Mac Jones was 21 for 35 throwing for 252 yards and one touchdown, which was a 44-yard pass to Nelson Agholor.

If it's Bailey Zappe under center, he could possibly have these same numbers. But with Rhamondre Stevenson and Demario Douglas both out with injuries, there will most likely be very little offense from New England.

As for the defense, the Patriots will have to stop Mitch Trubisky from carving up the field with his receivers. Most likely, the focus will be to stop the rushing attack of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. The one receiver that should get any special attention is George Pickens. He is yet to have a breakout game, and considering the Patriots are a bad team, this could be the breakout game Pickens has been waiting for.

But with how the season has been going, it should be expected that the Steelers will come out victorious on Thursday night football this week, dropping the Patriots to 2-11 on the season.

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