Patriots to host Steelers in NFL's 2015 regular season kickoff game
The NFL's 2015 regular season will kick off in style with a compelling matchup between two of this generation's most decorated quarterbacks: four-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and two-time champion Ben Roethlisberger.
Expect the Gillette Stadium scoreboard to get a workout when these star passers duel during the league's annual kickoff game, slated for Thursday, Sept. 10, when Brady and the reigning champion New England Patriots host Roethlisberger's Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The last time these teams met Nov. 3, 2013, Brady and Co. scored a 55-31 knockout win. Both quarterbacks surpassed 400 yards passing and combined for 832 while throwing four touchdowns apiece.
However the difference was turnovers. Big Ben was picked off twice and lost a fumble while Brady didn't give the ball away once.
Brady holds a 5-2 advantage over Roethlisberger in their previous meetings, which date to 2004.
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Pats-Pittsburgh was almost surely the most tantalizing game the schedule makers could have offered for the league's prestigious opener. Both clubs reached the playoffs last year, and the Steelers' second-ranked offense from 2014 should provide a threat to the reigning champs.
Sure, a New England visit from Chip Kelly's new-look Philadelphia Eagles would have been intriguing given the unveiling of the always frenzied offense with 2014 rushing king DeMarco Murray but minus shifty LeSean McCoy. But only Kelly knows whom his quarterback might be on opening day given recently acquired Sam Bradford could still be dealt again at next week's draft should Kelly be tempted to make a play for his former Oregon star, Marcus Mariota.
If the Eagles roll into Gillette with Mark Sanchez, Patriots 2013 summer intern Tim Tebow or even Mariota starting under center, things might get ugly fast.
The Patriots' first matchup with the Buffalo Bills and their new coach — longtime New England foe Rex Ryan — might have moved the needle. But with McCoy and ex-Pats quarterback Matt Cassel finding their way with a new team and new offensive scheme, the Bills might not be ready for prime time quite yet.
No, coach Mike Tomlin's Steelers versus Bill Belichick's Patriots made sense on many levels.
Pittsburgh went 11-5 last season, winning the AFC North before losing in the wild-card round to the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger recently signed a five-year, $99 million contract after matching the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees by throwing for a league-high 4,952 yards in 2014 along with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Brady, who fired off 33 touchdowns with nine interceptions and was named to the Pro Bowl for the 10th time, joined boyhood idol Joe Montana and Steelers Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw as the only four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks after leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl XLIX triumph against the Seattle Seahawks. Brady's third Super Bowl MVP award also matched Montana's standard.
Expect the ball to be in the air frequently. Both teams will be without suspended running backs on opening night. Patriots starter, and former Steeler, LeGarrette Blount will miss Week 1, while Pittsburgh all-pro Le'Veon Bell is expected to miss the first three games, though he is appealing that penalty. Both violated the league's substance-abuse policy last August, when they were teammates, after police found them in possession of marijuana when Bell was charged with DUI before a Steelers preseason game.
Both defenses will also be adjusting to new-look secondaries. Steelers whirlwind safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Ike Taylor retired, while the Patriots allowed corners Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner to depart in free agency.
The last time the Steelers won in New England was in 2008, a game Brady missed with a torn knee ligament.
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Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett
