The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL during Week 1, as they emerged from their thrilling game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a 23-20 victory. Not many folks gave the Steelers a chance to beat Cincinnati, but now they will look to improve their record to 2-0 in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. As the game draws near, we have decided to outline our Steelers Week 2 predictions for their matchup against the Pats.
The Patriots are coming off a tough loss to the Miami Dolphins to open the season, and they definitely weren't playing their best football in Week 1. While their defense stood strong against the Dolphins dangerous new offense, Mac Jones and the Pats offense looked sluggish for much of the day. It may be tough to turn that around against Pittsburgh's strong defense in Week 2.
After unexpectedly defeating the Bengals, the Steelers should be favored to come out on top against the Patriots. But even though they won last week, they still have some concerns of their own that could pop up and hurt them in Week 2. With that in mind, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the Steelers second game of the season.
4. Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky will hit George Pickens for a touchdown on the first drive of the game
Despite picking up a win in his debut with the Steelers, Mitch Trubisky labored through a fairly uneven performance against the Bengals. His numbers weren't horrible (21/38, 194 YDS, 1 TD) but his failure to get any sort of consistency going in the air allowed the Bengals to stage a comeback and send the game to overtime.
Trubisky will get off to a strong start against a Patriots secondary that could be without one of their top safeties in Adrian Phillips. Generally speaking, New England did a good job of keeping the Dolphins dangerous duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in check, but they will have their hands full for the second week straight. Trubisky will get off to a much better start in this one and find rookie wideout George Pickens, who was largely uninvolved in Week 1, for a five-yard touchdown to close out a strong opening drive for the Steelers.
3. Steelers WR Chase Claypool will lead the Steelers in rushing yards for the second straight week
In a very surprising development, one of the Steelers top wide receivers in Chase Claypool ended up leading Pittsburgh in rushing yards against the Bengals. This was more due to Najee Harris struggling and then being forced out of the game with a foot injury, but Claypool picked up a respectable 36 yards on six carries.
Harris is questionable for the game but said he will play, but even if he does play, Claypool will finish with the most rushing yards for the second straight week for the Steelers. With Trubisky's struggles under center, Pittsburgh has to find a way to get the ball into Claypool's hands, and running the ball is the solution. Claypool will rack up 84 yards on nine carries to lead the way on the ground for Pittsburgh for the second straight week.
2. Steelers FS Minkah Fitzpatrick will record a pick-six for the second straight week
Minkah Fitzpatrick ensured the Steelers defense would start the 2022 season on the right foot by intercepting Joe Burrow's first pass of the season and taking it to the house for a touchdown. Fitzpatrick would go on to have an extremely impressive all-around game for the Steelers, but his pick-six early in the game set the stage for one of the upsets of the week.
Against a Patriots offense that struggled to move the ball in the air last week, Fitzpatrick could have another big game. Sure enough, he will jump a pass intended for Jonnu Smith in the second quarter and take it all the way back to the house for a quick 24-yard pick-six. Things will look great for the Steelers at this point, but they will struggle to hold onto their lead for the second straight game.
1. Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky will throw an interception on the Steelers final drive to seal the game
After Fitzpatrick's aforementioned interception, the Steelers will hold a commanding 17-0 lead, and appear to be well on their way to winning this game. But Jones will find Kendrick Bourne in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown right before halftime, and then pick up a field goal on his first drive of the second half. Meanwhile, Trubisky and the Steelers offense are stuck in the mud after the Patriots' defense switches to zone-based coverages after struggling early in the game.
The Patriots will get another field goal late in the third quarter before Jones leads another methodical drive that ends with a two-yard touchdown for Damien Harris. Trubisky will get the ball backwith four minutes left in the game and just need a field goal to tie things, but Kyle Dugger will make a great play on a pass intended for Pat Freiermuth and intercept Trubisky, allowing New England to end up winning the game 20-17.
It's a disappointing game for Pittsburgh that will raise questions about Trubisky and the status of the Steelers offense moving forward this season.
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