Patriots Pummel Steelers: Dissecting The New England Nightmare

PITTSBURGH, PA - There's no sugarcoating the fact that the Steelers stunk in their 2019 season opener Sunday, being trounced by the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 33-3. The Patriots manhandled the Steelers even without former Steelers star wide receiver Antonio Brown, who signed with the Pats on Saturday hours after being released by the Oakland Raiders.

Here's what football writers from across the country thought about the game:

• Jeremy Bergman, NFL.com: "On a night New England hung its sixth Super Bowl banner, Pittsburgh lost by at least 30 points for just the second time in the Ben Roethlisberger era, which has itself birthed two Super Bowl champions. For a franchise so used to being on the big stage and under the bright lights, the Steelers were notably not camera ready on Sunday night."

• Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports: "The Patriots dropped a Super Bowl banner and then proceeded to drop a 33-3 beatdown of the Steelers on Sunday night. The contest wasn't even as close as the score indicates, with New England having a hold of things pretty much from the get go."

• Alaa Abdeldaiem, Sports Illustrated: "The Steelers look like they were in dire need of the wide receiver the Patrios signed a day earlier, struggling to find a rhythm in their first game without Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell on the roster."

• Jeremy Fowler, ESPN: "So much for that new-look offense without Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.Those players were missed on a miserable night of football for the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose 33-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday left their quarterback placing blame squarely on himself."

• Edward Sutelan, Sporting News: "To really get a grasp of what happened Sunday night, the reader needs to look no further than the box score. The Patriots outgained the Steelers 465-309 as they dominated in all phases of the game."

• Dave D'onofro, Boston. Com: "As openers go, Sunday night was about as good as it gets — from the unveiling of a sixth championship banner, to the thorough dismantling of the team that’s been the NFL’s second-most consistent over the past couple of decades, it was a distinct statement that the domination of this dynasty is not done."

Photo: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes under pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers defenders T.J. Watt (90), Cameron Heyward (97) and Bud Dupree (48) in the first half an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass.