Roar Guru
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New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers |
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NFL, AFC Championship |
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Gillette Stadium, Foxborough | ||
New England Patriots | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
36 | SCORE | 17 |
10 | Q1 | 0 |
7 | Q2 | 9 |
16 | Q3 | 0 |
3 | Q4 | 8 |
The AFC Championship is on the line as conference leaders the New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Join The Roar from 10:40am (AEDT) for live coverage.
The New England Patriots are no stranger to the AFC Championship in what will be their 6th consecutive appearance.
For once though, all eyes won’t be on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady but rather on how New England’s defensive line hold up against a lethal Steelers offense.
It has been another solid year for the 39-year-old in his 17th season, recording 28 touchdowns and a 122.2 passer rating off the back of 3,554 yards with just two picks to his name. He will need a big effort and must wreak havoc for the Pats on offense, particularly with the absence of Rob Gronkowski.
The Patriots’ defense must keep out the ‘Three B’s’ from Pittsburgh – Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. The trio have had a good 2016-17 season as well as Big Ben’s new favourite target – Eli Rogers.
New England have limited 12 of their last 15 opponents to less than 20 points and are yet to allow a player to rush more than 90 yards in their last 24 games.
That could be a completely different story come Sunday however with Le’Veon Bell recording stellar numbers averaging 168.5 rushing yards per game throughout this playoffs series. It adds to his season total of 158.9 scrimmage yards per game, the 3rd most in NFL history after what was a sour start to the year through suspension.
The Patriots and Steelers last squared off in Week 7, New England coming out trumps 27-16 at Heinz Field after a huge effort from Tom Brady and LeGarrette Blount. It is worth noting however that Pittsburgh were missing Roethlisberger in that game.
The Patriots lead the Steelers 3-1 in playoffs games.
Prediction
Le’Veon Bell will lead the Steelers to their first Super Bowl since 2010 in a tight game.
Steelers by 6.
Join The Roar from 10:40am (AEDT) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.