The showdown between Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger is always worth watching ... but it won't happen in Week 7. Roethlisberger is out with a knee injury he sustained in Week 6. He had to get surgery and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, making Landry Jones the starter in the meantime. So the 5-1 New England Patriots have that going for them when they travel to face the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Patriots vs. Steelers 2016 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Can Landry Jones keep up with Tom Brady? Probably not, but he’ll try.
Sunday’s game will be part of the afternoon slate with kickoff set for 4:25 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on television via CBS, with a live stream online only available with a Sunday Ticket Online subscription.
Jones has had a few opportunities to play over the years, but he hasn't done much with them. In 2015, he completed 32 of 55 pass attempts for 513 yards with three touchdowns, four interceptions, and a fumble. That's a completion percentage of 58.2 percent, and that makes up the entirety of his regular season play since the Steelers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft -- until one incomplete pass attempt last week in relief of Roethlisberger.
Steelers players seem confident in him, but what are they going to do -- say he sucks? Running back Le'Veon Bell said that Jones "has a lot of good things he can bring to the table." Nobody gets specific when asked about what exactly he does bring to the table, however.
At the very least, Jones has some pretty great weapons to work with. Antonio Brown has a legitimate claim to being the best wide receiver in the league and Le'Veon Bell is right there with him as far as running backs are concerned.
Bell will likely need to carry the game for the Roethlisberger-less Steelers, but then again, Bill Belichick and the Patriots are going to know that going in.
They know about Bell’s 5.5 yards per carry average, and they know he’s a dangerous weapon in the passing game as well. They know he’ll be Jones’ primary dumpoff option and they’ll know how important it is to force the Steelers to try and throw it to secondary options.
Pittsburgh has 21 total complete passes of 20-plus yards under Roethlisberger this season. The Patriots probably don’t expect Jones can manage sustaining those numbers himself.
Of course, the Patriots do have some weapons of their own. Brady is completing a ridiculous 76 percent of his passes and already has 782 yards and six touchdowns on the season despite missing the first four games due to suspension. He looks as good as he ever has, and that’s definitely good enough to burn the Steelers defense.
Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski are the top receivers for the Patriots this season, and that makes sense given how they utilize tight ends. The Steelers have to figure out a way to slow down Brady, because expecting Jones to win that shootout is a tall order.
Below is all you need to watch the game on Sunday.
How to Watch Patriots vs. Steelers on Sunday
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: Sunday Ticket
See More:
