The New England Patriots head into their Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers hoping to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole to start the season. After an ugly showing in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, that may be easier said than done.
While we’ve taken an in-depth look at the home team in the buildup to this game, it’s important to know what the Pats opponent in the Steelers will look like heading into this matchup. After all, they managed to pull off a stunning upset of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 to open their season. So let’s take a look at 3 Steelers players that will be worth paying attention to in the New England Patriots Week 2 matchup.
The New England Patriots will need to keep an eye on these 3 Pittsburgh Steelers players
Pittsburgh Steelers player to watch No. 3: Minkah Fitzpatrick
With T.J. Watt set to miss this contest after suffering a pec injury in Week 1, Minkah Fitzpatrick quickly becomes the Steelers most dynamic defensive player. Fitzpatrick was certainly dynamic against the Bengals, as he racked up 14 tackles, a pick-six, and blocked the potential game-winning extra point to send the game to overtime. Talk about a strong start to the season.
Fitzpatrick leads the Steelers secondary from the back as their free safety who has the ability to do a little bit of everything. He’s a strong tackler who can hold up well in coverage and always seems to have a nose for the football. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is always going to want to know where Fitzpatrick is on the field tomorrow afternoon.
Pittsburgh’s secondary has some holes, which is tough to believe considering they intercepted Joe Burrow four times last week. Fitzpatrick is not one of them. The Steelers are going to rely on their defense to make big plays for the second straight week to aid their limited offense, and if there’s a guy on their roster who has the ability to make those plays, it’s Fitzpatrick.
Pittsburgh Steelers player to watch No. 2: Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson has quietly emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL over the past few seasons. He hasn’t always had great quarterback play, but he made the most of his final season with Ben Roethlisberger in 2021, and turned in the best season of his career (107 REC, 1161 YDS, 8 TD).
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Johnson came up alongside fellow wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool, but he quickly emerged as the best of the bunch, and he has already become one of new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s most trusted targets. Johnson didn’t have a huge performance in Week 1, with his seven catches going for just 55 yards, but he made an early entry for the catch of the year honors.
HOW DID DIONTAE JOHNSON CATCH THIS? 🤯
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2022
(via @steelers)pic.twitter.com/CNZX3aTkKQ
Even with Trubisky’s uneven quarterback play, Johnson is a threat to pull off a big play at any given moment. He can be a security blanket, or he can rip off absurd catches likes the one above further down the field. You can’t ignore him just because Trubisky isn’t the best quarterback in the world.
The New England Patriots defense did a pretty good job keeping Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in check during their Week 1 contest, but they will have their hands full again with Johnson, Claypool, and George Pickens in Week 2. Johnson is the most dangerous of the bunch, though, and it will be interesting to see how head coach Bill Belichick plans on defending Pittsburgh’s best wide receiver.
Pittsburgh Steelers player to watch No. 1: Alex Highsmith
If you aren’t familiar with Alex Highsmith yet, that may be set to change very soon. With Watt set to miss time, the Steelers are going to need someone to step up and fill his void as their top pass rushing threat. Luckily enough for Pittsburgh, Highsmith racked up three sacks against the Bengals to open his season.
Highsmith has become a solid complement to Watt at the outside linebacker position, and he’s quickly turned himself into a very well rounded player. Entering the third season of his career, Highsmith started things off with a bang, and his three sack day ended up getting overlooked thanks to Watt’s injury and Fitzpatrick’s heroics.
Highsmith is going to have to prove that his Week 1 performance wasn’t a fluke now that Watt is injured. He will have some help alongside him in Cameron Heryward still, but Highsmith’s importance to the Steelers increased quite drastically in a short amount of time.
Whereas the New England Patriots offensive line would have to keep an eye out for Watt, they are going to have to keep a close watch on Highsmith in Week 2. He may struggle with the additional attention he will receive with Watt on the sideline, but it would be better to focus on him and keep him quiet rather than let him run wild for the second week straight.
Considering New England allowed a strip-sack of Jones that led to a free touchdown for Miami in Week 1, pass protection is going to be one of the biggest keys to this game. The Steelers have an aggressive defense, and they are going to attack Jones all day long. Whether the o-line can hold up against Highsmith and company could determine whether the Patriots win this game or not, making Highsmith an extremely important player to keep an eye on in this one.