New England Patriots: 3 Players that must show up big vs. Steelers in Week 1

With the New England Patriots opening up the season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, here are three players that must show up big in the game.

It’s finally here. The 2019 NFL season is officially underway for teams around the league, including the New England Patriots this weekend. The Patriots will open up the regular season slate with a tough test early on in the year, hosting their bitter rival the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football in Foxborough.

New England enters the fresh season coming off of its second Super Bowl victory in the last three years and third in the last five seasons. The Patriots, who took down the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 to take Super Bowl LII in February, concluded the regular season with a record of 11-5 overall before going on the deep postseason run.

The Patriots ended up taking the AFC East crown for the 10th consecutive season, finishing ahead of the Miami Dolphins (7-9) in second place, the Buffalo Bills (6-10) in third and the New York Jets (4-12) in last.

Pittsburgh comes into 2019 after a disappointing performance a year ago, finishing with a record of 9-6-1 overall and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 campaign.

The Steelers ended up taking second in the AFC North standings while dealing with a multitude of off-the-field issues, trailing the division champions Baltimore Ravens, who took the division title with a record of 10-6.

The Week 1 contest at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC between New England and Pittsburgh will be a very entertaining showdown, as games between the two teams always seem to be when they square off at any point throughout the season.

Before the season-opening week kicks off, let’s take a dive into three Patriots players that must show up and put together big games in order for New England to open the year up with a victory over Pittsburgh at home.