What a season Nation.

I’d like to start looking at the upcoming Patriots game from the same perspective I took looking at the Chiefs game.

Why?

Well, because Saturday morning Emily and I will be jumping into the car and trekking our butts out to Pittsburgh. So, Emily will be in the house on Sunday, and as already discussed in previous columns, that normally means a Steelers, win.

And in most cases, a big Steelers win.

But things are not normal. They are anything but normal.

We head into Sunday’s contest with New England, minus several key elements. Specifically, one major piece of the puzzle is missing on both sides of the ball – Ben is out on offense, and Cam remains out on defense. These are not just the normal “next man up” type of situations. It’s not a question that the Steelers offense is dependent on their franchise quarterback, and it can easily be argued that the heart and soul of the defense is Cam Heyward.

While it’s true that no one man is the sole reason a team wins or loses a game, these two guys come about as close as you can get to being “the main reason”.

So, as I said, if things were “normal” I’d be declaring this week a lock, and all because Emily will be there.

If things were normal.

It might be asking a lot of the Emily “mojo” to make this game a lock. I’m not quite ready to go there yet. Let’s look at the game and see if maybe I can talk myself into it.

A football game is divided into four quarters, and I think there are four key elements to this weekend’s game. I’ll call them “shows”, just to be cute. So let’s look at the shows which will, I think, decide this game.

The Landry Jones Show

What is it that makes so much of the Nation begin to scream for, well, any other quarterback, when Landry Jones is mentioned?

The hatred of Jones, and it really does feel like hatred at times, seems to stem from some ill-conceived notion that somehow when the Steelers picked Jones, they missed some golden opportunity to pick up a quarterback of much higher pedigree. (This is totally debunked by SCU’s Joe Kuzma in his article this week about who was available.)

It’s to the point where I have read comments saying that our 1^st round pick of next year must (yes, must) be a quarterback “whom Ben can teach”.

People need to understand the NFL a little better. Rookies sign 4-year contracts. There is an option for 5^th year if you’re a first round pick.

You honestly want to invest a first round pick in someone who will not play a single snap, contribute in any meaningful way during the next 4 years (because frankly I think Ben has 5 or 6 years left should he choose to play that long) and then have to decide on that 5^th year option, with really no foundation for making that decision?

A first round pick must contribute immediately.

Or at least relatively quickly.

Not ride the bench for four years, and learn.

It’s so inconvenient when reality gets in the way of fantasy, isn’t it?

Anyway, the point is that a great mass of the Nation has already claimed this game as unwinnable, just because Landry Jones is going to start (and I’m ignoring all those who wanted Metzenberger to start instead of Jones, because somehow an 0-10 starter, who’s been here six weeks, and who doesn’t know the system has miraculously become the savior).

Landry Jones can’t beat Tom Brady they all claim.

Here is a news flash – Landry Jones does not have to beat Tom Brady: he has to beat the Patriots defense.

Can he do that?

Maybe, maybe not.

The one thing for sure is that the Steelers will play to his strengths, and they will do so using the fullness of the playbook, rather than some truncated version that they would have to use with any other quarterback currently on the team whose name isn’t Ben Roethlisberger.

It’s Landry’s show, with a little help from his friends.

The Le’veon Bell Show

Speaking of his friends…

The biggest friend that Landry Jones has, and the biggest key to the Steelers winning this game, is how well Le’veon Bell plays, and how they utilize him and put him in positions to be successful. They can’t forget him like they did last weekend.

Le’Veon should be the door through which the offense runs, literally. If the Steelers are going to have any chance of winning this game Sunday, it’s going to ride heavily on how much “the Juice gets loose!”

The fact that we went away from the run last week was understandable, but we abandoned it far too early. We should have been running the ball as much as possible, and throwing short, over-the-middle passes to Le’Veon.

But, as sometimes happens, we started looking downfield too often, and got out of balance.

Yes, we got behind, and so it’s at least somewhat understandable.

This week we can’t get off that path. Run early, run often, and put the ball in the hands of the guy who will be the best player on the field when we are on offense.

The Steelers Defensive Show

I don’t know how they are going to do it.

I don’t envy Keith Butler’s task this week: without Cam Heyward, and even with Ryan Shazier, Robert Golden and Mike Mitchell all participating in practice in a limited way, he is in a tough position.

Somehow he has to get pressure on Brady.

He needs to make him uncomfortable, and at the same time, we need to cover the pair of Patriot tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

That would be a tough task with a full complement of players, and we don’t have that. Butler is going to have to get creative, and hope that Brady doesn’t expose any flaws in what he’s trying to do.

Maybe Justin Gilbert gets some snaps, and follows Gronk around? Maybe it’s somebody else?

I don’t know and luckily I don’t have to.

If we can get some turnovers, which have been few and far between so far this season, that would help. The defense is going to have to be on their game: stop LeGarrette Blount, and limit Brady’s opportunities.

Third downs are going to be important, and they need to get off the field on third downs, but the down that I think might be the most critical for them to win is first down. Limit the production of the Patriots on first down, and you put them in situations that maybe we can take advantage of.

Like I said, I don’t have the answer, but the Steelers Defensive Show needs to be a ratings hit for the Steelers to pull this one off.

The Tom Brady Show

This show needs to be cancelled.

With force.

Conclusion

Nation, this is not an unwinnable game. We have to avoid falling behind, because frankly we need to keep Landry (which would be true of any backup, not just Landry Jones) in a situation where he is not being asked to win the game, but instead just don’t lose it.

If we can keep it close, run the ball, and do the things that we are capable of doing, we can send the Patriots home 5-2, and even things back up.

Then blessedly, we get the week where we always win – the bye.

Yes, Emily and I will be in Pittsburgh, and yes, that normally means a win. I think there is a chance that Emily’s streak remains intact.

Do we need a little luck?

Yep, but you know the old saying:

“Winners make their own luck.”

Until next time Nation!