NFL Week 8 Picks: Why Patriots Will Affirm Themselves as AFC's Best

This Sunday the AFC's top two records will clash when the New England Patriots square off with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

They both do a lot of things well, and at the forefront will be the Steelers' No. 1-ranked pass defense and the Patriots' No. 1-ranked offense and passing offense.  We know the Patriots love to air it out with Tom Brady so something has to give here.

Looking at the history of the series, Tom Brady is 6-1 against the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger is just 2-4 against the Patriots where he won once against Matt Cassel.  They did play as recently as last year when the Patriots won 39-26. 

This season Tom Brady will come to Heinz Field with an even larger arsenal of weapons as Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski continue to grow and take pressure off of the NFL's leading receiver Wes Welker.

In the last four matchups, the Patriots have won each and Tom Brady has picked Pittsburgh apart.  In fact, in his last two outings he has thrown for 749 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.  Brady is one of those guys who really performs their best when playing the toughest opponents.

The Steelers defense will have to force turnovers against the Patriots to keep up—something they haven't done well in the past.  After the early backlash against the Steelers defense they have quieted critics over the past few weeks, but slowing down the Titans, Jaguars and Cardinals pales in comparison to what they'll have to accomplish this week.

Brady will come out sharp and composed and do what he does best, especially against Pittsburgh.  In the end, the Steelers' attempts to keep up will fall short.  They have struggled to move the ball at times this season, and if Brady gets on a roll I don't think they'll be able to string together perfect drive after perfect drive to take the win from New England.

Prediction:  New England Patriots over Pittsburgh Steelers, 31 - 23