{"id":54870,"date":"2018-12-14T06:54:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-14T11:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=54870"},"modified":"2018-12-14T06:54:58","modified_gmt":"2018-12-14T11:54:58","slug":"new-england-patriots-vs-pittsburgh-steelers-gameplan-pittsburgh-offense-not-as-efficient-as-youd-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/12\/14\/new-england-patriots-vs-pittsburgh-steelers-gameplan-pittsburgh-offense-not-as-efficient-as-youd-think\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers Gameplan: Pittsburgh Offense Not As Efficient As You\u2019d Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

In what\u2019s becoming an annual tradition, the New England Patriots<\/a> are set to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> in a late-season matchup with serious playoff implications. To say these teams are familiar with each other is an understatement, as these teams have met five times in the past four years. While New England historically holds the upper hand here, they\u2019ll still need to bring their A-game to come out of Pittsburgh with a victory. Let\u2019s dive into the New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers gameplan and see how to stop this high-octane offense.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers Gameplan: Stopping the Steelers Offense<\/h1>\n

Normally, the Steelers have one of the more explosive backs in the NFL in second-year runner James Conner<\/a><\/strong>. Conner has filled in seamlessly for LeVeon Bell<\/strong><\/a>, providing the ability to beat defenses on both the ground and the air. However, the Patriots probably won\u2019t have to worry about him in Week 15.<\/p>\n

Conner suffered an ankle injury in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> which is expected to sideline him for this weeks\u2019 matchup. While he hypothetically could play, it looks unlikely. In his place is the underwhelming duo of Jaylen Samuels<\/a><\/strong> and old friend Stevan Ridley<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Samuels has some ability in the passing game, but he leaves a lot to be desired in the run game. So far, Samuels has recorded just 59 rushing yards on 23 carries, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry. His run success rate is a measly 34.8%, which is 12.5% below league average.<\/p>\n

Ridley is equally as inefficient. The former Patriot clearly doesn\u2019t have much left in his tank, as evidenced by his 60 rushing yards on 23 carries. Interestingly, Ridley\u2019s 30.4% rushing success rate is even lower than Samuels\u2019, which just goes to show how inefficient this duo is.<\/p>\n

The Patriots need to account for Samuels in the passing game, but they shouldn\u2019t spend too much time worrying about either player in the ground game. New England\u2019s run defense has been atrocious of late<\/a>, but this duo doesn\u2019t seem capable of exploiting that weakness.<\/p>\n

When the Steelers Throw<\/h2>\n

This is where things get interesting. Pittsburgh boasts arguably the best wide receiver duo in football, and defending them is no easy task. Antonio Brown<\/a><\/strong> has been arguably the best receiver in football since 2013, and Juju Smith-Schuster<\/strong><\/a> is one of the league\u2019s rising stars.<\/p>\n

The Patriots ran into a similar situation two weeks ago against Adam Thielen<\/a><\/strong> and Stefon Diggs<\/a>. <\/strong>The Patriots managed to negate the impact of both players by playing elaborate coverages to fool quarterback Kirk Cousins<\/a><\/strong>. While that gameplan worked wonders in Week 13, it probably won\u2019t work in Week 15. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger<\/a><\/strong> is a much better passer than Cousins, and will probably be able to decipher those coverages. While it\u2019s still worth a shot in clear passing situations, this game will come down to execution at the end of the day.<\/p>\n

Antonio Brown is still putting up freak numbers, as evidenced by his 86 receptions, 1,063 yards, and league-leading 12 touchdowns. However, the superstar wide receiver\u2019s production has been mostly volume based, as teams have done a good job limiting his efficiency. Brown has a 47.3% reception success rate this season, which is actually below the league average. His success rate is above average in just the short portion of the field.<\/p>\n

This low success rate isn\u2019t a reflection on Brown himself, but rather how defenses are selling out to stop him. Brown is double-teamed on just about every play, so it\u2019s hard for him to be too efficient. However, teams devoting so many resources to stop Brown, Smith-Schuster tends to run wild against single coverage.<\/p>\n

After flashing promise as a rookie, the second-year wideout is absolutely destroying defenses in his second year. So far this season, the 22-year old has 91 catches for 1,234 yards and six touchdowns. His 61.5% receiving success rate is 9.8% above league average and he can beat you in literally any part of the field.<\/p>\n

How To Stop It<\/h2>\n

Clearly, the Patriots have a huge challenge on their hands. Fortunately, they also have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong>. Gilmore can match up against any receiver type, and the Patriots should use him isolated against Juju Smith-Schuster. Even though he has the better numbers, he\u2019s still the WR2 in this offense. It will take more than one player to stop Antonio Brown, so New England should use their best cornerback to stop Pittsburgh\u2019s second-best receiver.<\/p>\n

The Patriots need to double team Brown whenever possible, the question is who they should use for said roles. Since the Patriots won\u2019t have to worry too much about the run, New England could utilize either Devin McCourty<\/a><\/strong> or Duron Harmon<\/a><\/strong> as the deep safety. Both players possess great speed over the top, but Harmon is probably the slightly better play here.<\/p>\n

The next question is, who should be the cornerback in double coverage. While conventional wisdom says the job should fall to Jason McCourty<\/a><\/strong>, NESN.com\u2019s Doug Kyed<\/strong> suggested using rookie<\/a> JC Jackson <\/strong><\/a>against the superstar wideout.<\/p>\n

While this decision wouldn\u2019t be conventional, it could easily work. McCourty struggled in Week 14 against the Miami Dolphins, while Jackson actually had a strong game (that miraculous last-second play notwithstanding). Despite going undrafted, Jackson had second-round ability<\/a> entering the NFL Draft. Character concerns caused him to go undrafted, but the rookie has kept his nose clean off the field.<\/p>\n

Gilmore and Jackson won\u2019t be able to completely eliminate Smith-Schuster and Brown. The league is becoming more and more oriented for the offense, and these two are among the best in the NFL. However, they should be able to slow Pittsburgh down just enough. Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> and the passing game is coming alive, and the defense should be able to do enough to let the Patriots emerge victoriously.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>