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As the NFL season winds down, a lot of things start to become more clear. The Week 14 Thursday Night Football game will certainly help with that as well. The New England Patriots have been one of the worst teams in the NFL all season. Another loss would increase their odds of securing the top draft choice. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-5 and in the playoff picture despite deploying an ineffective offense all season. A win would better their chances of making the postseason. In this article, we will detail how you can watch the two teams' upcoming game.
When and where is the Patriots vs Steelers game?
The Patriots will head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to play the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 7.
How to watch Patriots vs. Steelers on Thursday Night Football
As is the case with most Thursday Night Football games, Week 14 will not be on television. Instead, it will be streamed by Amazon Prime Video. Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will be the broadcast team.
Date: Thursday, Dec. 7 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV channel: N/A | Live stream: Prime Video
Odds: Steelers -6 | O/U 30.5
Patriots storylines
Neither the New England Patriots nor the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to be playing with the quarterback who began the season as the starter and was supposed to be the respective team's long-term option at the position. For the Patriots, that means Bailey Zappe will likely once again be playing over Mac Jones.
Zappe impressed in limited action last season, but he was once again limited to reserve duty this year. That changed last week, though, as head coach Bill Belichick decided to play Zappe over Mac Jones. Jones has been a disappointment all season long, and the Patriots seem ready to go in another direction at the quarterback spot.
It is possible Zappe will not be that guy by next season, but because of his impressive play last year and the fact that he is the all-time single-season passing touchdown and yardage record holder in college football, seeing what the young kid has to offer seems like a smart plan. Unfortunately, he was terrible in his first start of the season. The Patriots were shut out against the Los Angeles Chargers, and while some of that has to do with the poor play of his teammates, Zappe didn't help the cause as he only went 13-25 for 141 and no touchdowns. The quarterback was sacked five times, but he was anything but a playmaker.
The Patriots' quarterback position has been a carousel all year, so it is possible Belichick will go back to Jones, and we likely won't know until game time. After all, the coach always keeps his cards close to his chest. It seems likely that Zappe will get another chance, though.
Regardless of who is at quarterback, the team doesn't surround their signal-caller with a lot of weapons. The team has no receivers with over 500 yards. Demario Douglas is the leading receiver with only 410 yards, but he sat out last week with a concussion. Getting him back during a short week might prove difficult. Kendrick Bourne is also out with a torn ACL. That makes Hunter Henry (313 yards), DeVante Parker (264 yards), and Mike Gesicki (182 yards) the top options for New England passers. Even Rhamondre Stevenson will be out with an ankle injury.
A lot of injuries and a lack of talent usually means teams are headed to the top of the draft, and while tanking is not the Patriots' way, it does seem the team will need a top pick to turn their franchise back around to their normal glory. Only the Carolina Panthers have a worst record than New England's 2-10 status, but the Panthers have no need to lose games as they don't own their own first-round draft pick this year.
Steelers storylines
Like the Patriots, the Steelers will be without their former first-round quarterback. Kenny Pickett will miss this game for very different reasons, though. Pickett only ranks 24th in yardage (2,070) and 31st in passing touchdowns (six). He was not benched for poor play, though. Pickett and the Steelers' offense even seemed to be on the up rise. In Week 12, the team surpassed 400 yards of total offense for the first time in 59 games. That game – the first without Matt Canada at offensive coordinator – served as a potential breakout game for Pittsburgh.
However, the young quarterback is now recovering from an ankle surgery that will keep him out for at least a couple of weeks. The injury is not expected to be season-ending, but Pittsburgh will be counting on Mitch Trubisky for now. The former No. 2 overall pick has been labeled as a bust, but he has settled into a role as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league.
Luckily, the Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league to lean on. They only allow 19.1 points per game, and T.J. Watt is a true game-wrecker. The Steelers are 66-31-2 in games that Watt plays in all time. He is second in the league with 14 sacks.
The Steelers currently hold the fifth seed in the AFC with a 7-5 record. The AFC is very tightly contested right now, so a sneaky win with their backup quarterback would be huge for the Steelers. Luckily, it is good timing in that they are playing one of the worst teams in the league. You can never count out a Bill Belichick-led team, though.
