Open Thread: Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots

Key to the Steelers beating the Patriots: Don’t get conservative on offense - Behind the Steel Curtain
Mike Tomlin is famous for insisting the Steelers won't "live in their fears", but sometimes the Steelers' offensive play calls do just that. For instance, on last week's opening drive against the Chiefs the Steelers came out on fourth and goal to attempt to draw the Chiefs offsides, but settled for a field goal. That can't happen this week. The Steelers have an explosive offense and need to take it to the Patriots. The worst case scenario is that they force the Patriots to drive a long field for points.

Patriots offense is the perfect counter to the Steelers zone defense - Pats Pulpit
There are multiple ways to beat the cover 2 defense, but one of the most basic is by flooding zones with multiple receivers, forcing defenders to make decisions. The cover 2 relies on each defensive back and linebacker having a certain coverage zone. If the Patriots can run a running back like Dion Lewis or James White on a wheel route towards the sideline, while also running a wide receiver into the same zone, the cornerback will have to decide which player to cover- and Brady will have already delivered the ball to the open player.