3 matchups to watch in Patriots' season-opener vs. Steelers

There are three key matchups that could determine that outcome for New England in their Week 1 matchup against Pittsburgh.

When the New England Patriots take on the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night in their first game of the 2019 regular season it will be our first look at how the Patriots can compete against one of the best teams in the AFC following a Super Bowl victory earlier this year. 

The Patriots have many questions heading into the game, mainly on offense, where their passing game and tight end void may raise some concerns as they try to hash out what does and doesn't work for them when Tom Brady drops back to pass. On the other side of the football, New England will have to be versatile in their coverage now that Pittsburgh will likely spread the ball out after the departure of Antonio Brown. 

Because of this, there are some key matchups to watch that could determine the outcome for New England in Week 1 as they try to begin the season undefeated. 

Here are three matchups to keep an eye on in the Patriots-Steelers season-opener.

1) Stephon Gilmore vs. Juju Smith-Schuster 

All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore will get his first test of the season on Sunday Night Football when he faces the new No. 1 receiver in Pittsburgh, JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster will get his first crack at showing why the Steelers were completely content with moving on from Antonio Brown this past offseason, but it won't be easy. 

The third-year wideout has over 2,000 yards in his career despite being the second fiddle in the passing game for most of it. Now that Brown is no longer in the picture, Pittsburgh will supposedly spread the ball out a bit more since there is no longer a demand for targets coming from a single player. Because of that, it will be interesting to see how much Roethlisberger even attempts to find Smith-Schuster on the field, especially if Gilmore shadows him for the game. 

Chances are, Gilmore will win this matchup. But if Smith-Schuster has a semi-productive night, it could show how capable he is of being the de facto No. 1 wideout in Pittsburgh, but it could also make the game a bit closer if that happens and the Steelers running game find its groove. 

2) Ted Karras vs. Javon Hargrave

With center David Andrews likely out for the 2019 season, the starting responsibilities will be given to Ted Karras, who has be awaiting his opportunity patiently. His first crack at the starting center role will be against the Steelers, which is no easy debut. 

Pittsburgh's nose tackle is Javon Hargave, who will likely draw matchups against Karras quite often Sunday night. In 2018, Hargrave recorded 6.5 sacks, 49 tackles and six tackles for loss, which are impressive numbers for an interior defensive lineman. Karras' ability to control Hargraves movements in the trenches will determine how well New England will be able to run the ball, which will be there go-to tactic as it was for most of last season. 

If Karras can have a strong debut, which is should, then there shouldn't be a massive drop-off in production in the interior offensive line, which means that New England's offense will be off and running against the Steelers. 

3) Patrick Chung vs. Vance McDonald 

Covering the wideouts of Pittsburgh won't be an issue for the Patriots' secondary. But covering the bigger targets in the passing game might be. With Jesse James now with the Detroit Lions, tight end Vance McDonald is the Steelers' No. 1 option from the TE position in the passing game. Though it has already been made clear that he won't ever play a full game of snaps, his opportunities to catch the football should increase with the absence of James and Brown from the offense. 

Patriots safety Patrick Chung has a knack for covering big, physical receiving threats in the passing game, which is why he will likely draw the assignment of covering McDonald in Week 1. 

McDonald has had a career docked with injuries, which is why he has never quite lived up to expectations. But if there ever was an opportunity to come close to being what he was supposed to be in the NFL, it would be within the 2019 Steelers offense. An argument can be made that his playmaking ability downfield should be a No. 1 priority to defend for New England, which is why Chung has to put his best foot forward in the season-opener.