New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: What You Need to Know

The New England Patriots will play against the NFC North for the third straight week this Sunday when they travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. The Patriots beat the Browns at Cleveland, 33-16 and then beat Cincinnati last Sunday at Gillette Stadium, 35-17.

This week’s game will be the first of two straight road games for New England. Following the Pittsburgh game, the Patriots will travel to face the Buffalo Bills.

Since Robert Kraft purchased the team in 1994, the Patriots have the best road record in the NFL with a 108-70 mark. The Patriots are 2-0 on the road in 2016 after a 23-21 win at Arizona on Sept. 11 and the 33-16 win at Cleveland on Oct. 9.

To get you ready for Sunday afternoon's 4:25 p.m. kickoff, here's what you need to know.

Broadcast Information

TELEVISION: This week’s game will be broadcast by CBS and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties with Phil Simms as the color analyst. Tracy Wolfson will work the sidelines. The game will be produced by Lance Barrow and directed by Mike Arnold.

NATIONAL RADIO: This week’s game will be broadcast to a national audience on Sports USA. Larry Kahn and Mark Carrier will call the game. Troy West will work the sidelines.

LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. Produced by Marc Cappello.

Series History

The Patriots and Steelers will square off for the 29th time overall, including 2 regular season meetings and four postseason meetings, two of which were AFC Championship matchups.

This week’s game will be the Patriots’ 7th game overall at Heinz Field. The Patriots own a 2-2 regular season record and a 2-0 postseason record at Heinz Field.

The last time the two teams played was in the 2015 Kickoff celebration game as the 2014 defending Super Bowl Champions. The Patriots prevailed, 28-21, at Gillette stadium on Sept. 10, 2015.

New England owns a 3-1 record against the Steelers in the postseason and Pittsburgh holds a 14-10 advantage in the regular season.

The teams played in the AFC Championship Game following the 2001 and 2004 seasons, with the Patriots winning both times en route to Super Bowl titles. The teams played in the divisional playoffs in 1996 and 1997. The Patriots beat Pittsburgh, 28-3, at Foxboro Stadium en route to their Super Bowl XXXI appearance. Pittsburgh beat the Patriots the following season, 7-6, at Three Rivers Stadium.

The Betting Line

Here's what the the betting lines are as of Saturday night via ESPN.com

• Westgate: Patriots by 7
• BOVADA.lv: Patriots by 8
• BETONLINE.ag: Patriots by 7
• SportsBetting.ag: Patriots by 7
• 5Dimes.eu: Patriots by 7

The Expert Picks

• ESPN.com: Experts pick Patriots 8-1
• Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times: Patriots
• Chris Burke, Sports Illustrated: Patriots 28, Steelers 13
• CBSSports.com: Experts pick Patriots 8-0
• FiveThirtyEight: Steelers 54 percent favorite
• Kevin Clark, The Ringer: Patriots