FOXBOROUGH — Two of the NFL’s worst offenses will square off on a short week with a pair of backup quarterbacks.
Welcome to Thursday Night Football.
After benching Mac Jones, the Patriots head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers with Bailey Zappe as their signal caller, while Mike Tomlin will have Mitchell Trubisky under center following an injury to Kenny Pickett.
So who will emerge victorious? Here are three predictions for Thursday night:
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1. Somehow, the under hits
The over/under for this game is sitting at an eye-popping 30 points at DraftKings SportsBook. No game since 2000 has had a lower total than 30; this is record-setting futility.
Remarkably, the under still hits.
Though 7-5, the Steelers are something of a paper tiger. They were outgained in each of their first 10 games and the offense is likely to take another step back with Trubisky this week. Meanwhile, the Patriots offense has been historically bad. They’re the first team since 1938 to allow 10 points or fewer in three straight games and lose all three, and averaging 12.3 points per game, they’re on pace to have the worst scoring offense since the 2011 St. Louis Rams.
2. Zeke runs for 100 yards
For the first time since October 10, 2021, Ezekiel Elliott hits the 100-yard rushing plateau. With Rhamondre Stevenson ruled out (ankle) and basically no depth behind Elliott — Ty Montgomery and practice-squad member Kevin Harris — the veteran is sure to shoulder a heavy load.
“I definitely think the more I’m in there, the better I’ll be,” Elliott said this week. “I think the more touches I get, the better I get with the game going on. If the opportunity presents itself, and if it continues to present itself, I definitely would love to keep playing more.”
His wish will be granted at Acrisure Stadium — and the bet here is that Elliott will run with it.
3. The Patriots… win?
Good news for the current players, bad news for the 2024 NFL Draft pick: The Patriots pull off the upset in Pittsburgh and improve to 3-10 on the season. Jerod Mayo’s defense keeps rolling against a weak Steelers offense, and Zappe does just enough to guide the Patriots to a 13-12 victory in an absolute rock fight.
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