Patriots vs. Steelers: Keeping Tom Brady Upright Key to Victory

With the New England Patriots traveling to Heinz Field to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, many NFL fans aren’t giving the Patriots much of a chance.

Especially after what happened last week.

Patriots fans were treated on Halloween night with a win over the Vikings, but were tricked against the Cleveland Browns last week in what many called a “trap game” as the Patriots offensive line was confused and manhandled by the underrated Browns defense.

John Hannah told me in an interview earlier this week that he didn’t see enough in the loss to the Browns to cause for panic. “Every now and then, you’re going to have an off day…I think once they play Pittsburgh, we’ll know a lot better. Then we can decide whether we want to panic or not.”

Hannah also thinks, though, that the Patriots offensive line is in for one heck of a match on Sunday night. The numbers don’t lie in that regard, with the Steelers totaling 24 sacks on the season and ranking fifth in the league in that category.

One might think that the Patriots stand a pretty good chance of holding the pocket for Brady, as they’ve only forfeited 13 sacks this season and rank sixth in the league in that regard.

But the problem may run a little deeper than those numbers would lead you to believe.

Hannah mentioned that his former college teammate, John Mitchell, is the defensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hannah says that from their discussions as friends, Mitchell understands the Patriots pass protection schemes and its weaknesses.

“The flaw that most people try to attack is on the outside, because a lot of their tackles don’t really have that ability to handle a real fast, up-field rush. But you can do things to cover the weakness in that scheme. Where the Patriots are most vulnerable is right up the gut, right over the center.

“But you‘ve got to have some football knowledge to figure it out, and John Mitchell does.”

Also worth mentioning is Tom Brady's foot injury, which may or may not hamper his ability to move around in the pocket and avoid the rush. He does, however, have some help with a few key absences for the Steelers. Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel are both out, and James Harrison is doubtful. I’m guessing Harrison will play today; whether that’s at 100 percent or not remains to be seen, but that line backing corps is stellar from top to bottom.

Those would be some glaring absences in the Steelers’ roster, but if Mitchell understands the Patriots’ offensive line schemes, he may be able to plug-and-play his defensive starters.

And if the offensive line can’t keep Tom Brady upright, it could mean a long day for the Patriots.

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