Patriots vs. Steelers: Kickoff Time, How To Watch, And More

The New England Patriots will make their final regular season road trip, and the last of three straight road games, when they travel this week to face Pittsburgh.

The Patriots will travel to Pittsburgh for the second straight year for a regular season game. Last season, the Patriots beat Pittsburgh, 27-16, at Heinz Field on Oct. 23, 2016, and then beat the Steelers for a second time with a 36-17 win at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2017, in the AFC Championship Game.

QB Tom Brady owns a 7-2 regular season record against the Steelers, and he is 3-0 against Pittsburgh in the postseason.

Here's what you need to know about Sunday afternoon's game:

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 Tony Romo as the color analyst. Tracy Wolfson will work the sidelines. The game will be produced by Jim Rikhoff and directed by Mike Arnold.

NATIONAL RADIO: This week’s game will be broadcast to a national audience by ESPN Radio. Adam Amin and Bill Polian will call the game. Sal Paolantonio will work the sidelines.

RADIO: 98.5 FM, The Sports Hub, is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. A complete listing of the network’s 40 stations can be found in this press release on page 62. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello,

Playoff Implications

If the Patriots win, they clinch the AFC East Championship and the tiebreaker over the Steelers if both teams end the season with the same record.

Series History

The Patriots will travel to Pittsburgh for the second straight season for a regular season game. Last season, the Patriots beat Pittsburgh, 27-16, at Heinz Field on Oct. 23, 2016, and then beat the Steelers for a second time with a 36-17 win at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2017, in the AFC Championship Game.

This week’s matchup will be the 31st meeting overall and the third straight year the two teams will play in the regular season. Pittsburgh leads the regular season series by a 14-11 margin, while New England leads 4-1 in the postseason. The Patriots have won the last four meetings overall with wins in the regular season in 2013, 2015 and 2016 and the 2016 AFC Championship Game.

The teams played in the AFC Championship Game during the 2001, 2004 and 2016 playoffs, with the Patriots winning each time, 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 Patriots are 7-10 all-time in the regular season in games played in Pittsburgh, but they are 3-2 all-time in the regular season at Heinz Field since it opened in 2001.

The Betting Line
Here's what the odds makers have to say about Sunday night's game via ESPN.com:

• Westgate - New England by 2 points.
• Caesar's - New England by 2.5 points.
• William Hill - New England by 3 points.
• Wynn - New England by 3 points.
• GG Technology - New England by 2.5 points.
• Unibet - New England by 2.5 points

What The Experts Say

• ESPN.com - Six of 10 expects pick Patriots
• CBSSports.com - Six of eight experts pick Patriots
• Pro Football Talk - Michael David Smith: Patriots 27, Steelers 24; Mike Florio: Patriots 30, Steelers 27.
• Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times - Steelers (Against the spread)
• Sports Illustrated - Four of six experts pick Patriots (Against the spread)
• FiveThirtyEight - Patriots favored by 53 percent

Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images