Nov 2, 2013 5 min read

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For years, the New England Patriots have been known as a high-scoring, high-flying offensive-oriented team led by quarterback Tom Brady.

But the current version of the Patriots aren’t exactly what we’ve become accustomed to seeing in a Brady-led team.

The 36-year-old, three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s passer rating is a career-low 74.9, which ranks 27th in the NFL.

Despite that, the Steelers still have plenty of respect for Brady as they play at New England today.

Heck, when you’re 2-5, you have to pretty much have respect for everybody.

“Every game for us now is a must-win and an important, pivotal game for the season,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Unlike the Steelers, the Patriots (6-2) are finding ways to win despite roster turnover that is equal to what Pittsburgh has undergone in the last two seasons.

Brady began the season with an entirely new receiving corps outside of holdover Julian Edelman, a bit player in previous seasons. Tight end Rob Gronkowkski, one of his favorite targets, returned from an elbow injury two weeks ago and is expected to play against the Steelers despite back and shoulder issues.

Despite all of change, Brady has the Patriots at their usual perch atop the AFC East.

“That’s what makes the great ones great,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s found a way to win football games that are close and with guys that no one has ever heard of. You admire someone like that.”

Six of New England’s eight games have been decided by a touchdown or less, with Brady almost willing the Patriots to victory in four of those. Most notable was a 30-27 victory against New Orleans, when Brady threw a touchdown pass to rookie Kenbrell Thompkins with five seconds remaining.

“The quarterback’s job is to figure out a way to make the plays to get his team to win, and that’s really the bottom line for Tom, me and everybody else,” said New England head coach Bill Belichick. “What we’re here for is to win games. He’s doing things to help us win them and that’s really our most important statistic. The rest of them are pretty meaningless, really.”

The Steelers have had similar success with Roethlisberger over the years. But in close games this year, things haven’t worked out. In games decided by seven points or fewer, the Steelers are 1-3.

Part of the reason for New England’s success has been its running game. While the Patriots don’t have a rusher on pace for a 1,000-yard season – leading rusher Stevan Ridley has 399 yards – they are averaging 120.6 rushing yards per game by using a variety of running backs.

“They don’t have that one premiere back,” said Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds. “They use a bunch of guys. But if you look at their average per game, they’re still making plays.”

The threat of a running game has helped Brady. That’s a luxury the Steelers haven’t afforded Roethlisberger. Pittsburgh has had only one game with 100 rushing yards and is averaging 68.7 yards per game.

But the Steelers could find success on the ground against the Patriots, who rank 31st in the NFL in run defense and are missing nose tackle Vince Wilfork and Pro Bowl linebacker Jerod Mayo, both of whom are out with season-ending injuries.

The Steelers, however, have issues on their offensive line. Guards Ramon Foster (concussion) and David DeCastro (ankle) left last week’s 21-18 loss at Oakland. Foster is probable to play. DeCastro is out.

The Steelers need a good start. Pittsburgh has scored only 19 first-quarter points, fewer than all but four teams. As a result, Pittsburgh has been playing catch-up.

“It’s who scores the most points in the end,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “It doesn’t matter whether those points come in the beginning, middle or end. You’ve got to score more points than the opponent, and that’s the bottom line. We need to be up in the 20s and 30s more than we are in the teens. That’s the bottom line when it’s all said and done.”

That will be especially important against the Patriots, who use a no-huddle offense to make up for some of their deficiences.

New England has been held to less than 20 points only twice.

“We always like to stop the run and make people throw, but I don’t know if that is exactly the thing you want to do with Tom Brady,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. “They are pretty well balanced. In the last three games, they’ve been getting up there in the low 30s in points. We have to keep them under that, for sure. We’ve played him before. He’s played us. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

The Patriots are 6-2 against the Steelers in games started by Brady. … The Steelers are 3-3 against the Patriots in games started by Roethlisberger. … Despite a 211-111 career record – one of just three coaches in NFL history to be 100 games above .500 – Belichick is just 8-9 against the Steelers, including a 2-6 record with Cleveland. … In his past two games against New England, Roethlisberger has thrown for 752 yards five touchdowns and two interceptions.