The 2015 NFL season is finally here and it all gets started on Thursday night with a game between the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Steelers vs. Patriots 2015: Time, TV schedule for Thursday night football
The defending Super Bowl champions will begin the season with Tom Brady at the helm as the team plays host to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The offseason headlines for the Patriots revolved around a seven-month saga between the NFL and the franchise regarding DeflateGate. After accepting a $1 million fine and the loss of two draft picks, including a first-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Patriots were still punished with a four-game suspension for Tom Brady, but the 10-time Pro Bowler is now off the hook after winning an appeal against the league in federal court.
With the NFL appealing the ruling, the official end of the DeflateGate saga is still far on the horizon, but for now, the Patriots will have their star quarterback at the helm when the team plays host to the Steelers on Thursday night.
That represents a big challenge for Pittsburgh, a team that was among the NFL’s worst at slowing opposing passers in 2014. Only three teams allowed more passing touchdowns and only five allowed more passing yardage, while the Patriots finished in the top 10 in both categories offensively.
After losing starters like Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and Jason Worilds to retirement, and cornerback Brice McCain in free agency, the Steelers looked to add some young talent in the draft, taking pass rusher Bud Dupree in the first round and cornerback Senquez Golson in the second. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Dupree has looked like a raw player with a lot of growing to do and Golson is done for the year with a shoulder injury.
So instead, Pittsburgh will likely have to rely on its high-powered offense to lead the way while the Steelers defense hopes young players improve as the year goes on.
Only one team in the NFL racked up more yardage than Pittsburgh in 2014, and while running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receiver Martavis Bryant are each suspended to begin the year, the Steelers have Antonio Brown (the NFL's leading receiver in 2014) ready to go and added veteran DeAngelo Williams to their running back corps.
They will look to find room against a Patriots defense that no longer features Vince Wilfork as a stalwart in the middle of the defensive line or cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner. New England will depend on Sealver Siliga and Alan Branch to handle defensive tackle duties and turn over the cornerback jobs to Logan Ryan and Super Bowl savior Malcolm Butler.
Still, the defending AFC North champions enter a road game in New England as a touchdown underdog, according to OddsShark.
There will be a Kickoff to 50 event prior to the game to celebrate the return of the NFL, although that concert will happen at the site of Super Bowl 50 on the opposite side of the country. Ellie Goulding and Train will perform in San Francisco with coverage on NBC beginning an hour prior to kickoff.
NBC will provide coverage of Sunday Night Football games during the year, including a Week 1 game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. But this will be only one of two Thursday games on the network, with a Thanksgiving game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers serving as the second. CBS and NFL Network will partner to provide coverage of Thursday Night Football for the remainder of the year.
How to Watch
When: Thursday, Sept. 10, 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
TV: NBC
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra
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