Today the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the undefeated New England Patriots in Foxboro. The Patriots face the toughest remaining test this year in their quest to match and surpass the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Miami, meanwhile, faces off against Buffalo not far away to maintain its perfect season of futility.
Anthony Smith predicts a Steeler win:
Certainly, Steelers second-year safety Anthony Smith thinks so. The big discussion in the Patriots locker room Thursday was Smith’s bold guarantee of victory.
“We heard about it,” Brady said. “Coach always says we do our talking on Sundays. I’m glad they feel that way. I hope they feel that way. We’ll see who comes out ahead on Sunday.”
Belichick, whose quotes always seem to be in lockstep with Brady, added, “I would expect when Pittsburgh walks out there, they’re going to expect a win. I can’t imagine they would approach it any differently.
My prediction? Steelers win a tough game of smashmouth football, 27-21. Miami’s already losing 21-7, so I think that streak will be safe. What are your predictions for today? The thread is open ….
UPDATE: Well, crud. Both teams kept their streaks alive, and Smith will have to get new uniforms next week to get one without the scorch marks left on him by Pats receivers:
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, shattering Steelers safety Anthony Smith’s guarantee of a victory, Randy Moss caught two of them and New England crushed Pittsburgh 34-13 on Sunday.
The lopsided victory against the NFL’s stingiest defense followed a two-game struggle in which the Patriots (13-0) needed late comebacks to beat teams with losing records, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
I missed the game; I spent the evening watching the Little Admiral sing in a church Christmas pageant. The First Mate teasingly sympathized with me for missing the game, but I obviously made the right choice.