Pittsburgh @ New England preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 30, 2011 ) New England 17, Pittsburgh 25

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have one thing in common - both teams have been hearing the "what's wrong" question throughout the season. The big difference is that the Patriots have managed to overcome myriad obstacles and are sitting atop the AFC East as they await Sunday's visit from the struggling Steelers. Pittsburgh is in danger of falling out of the playoff chase, prompting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to call Sunday's game a "must win."

New England has alternated wins and losses in the last four weeks after rallying from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Miami 27-17 last week despite a season-low 116 passing yards from quarterback Tom Brady. "I know a lot of people are frustrated," Brady said. "To be 6-2 is not bad." Pittsburgh is attempting to dig itself out of a miserable 0-4 start to the season, but had its modest two-game win streak snapped in last week's 21-18 loss in Oakland.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -6. O/U: 44.

ABOUT THE STEELERS (2-5): Pittsburgh has failed to reach 20 points in five of its seven games and is tied for 27th in scoring with an average of 17.9 points a game. A patchwork offensive line that lost three more players to injury last week has hindered rookie Le'Veon Bell and the running game while Roethlisberger was sacked five times to boost his season total to 26. The Steelers' defense has yielded only 43 points in three games since the bye week but was burned by a 93-yard touchdown run by Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor last week.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (6-2): Brady is completing 55.7 percent of his passes and has a QB rating of 74.9 - both career lows - while tossing two TD passes and four interceptions in the past four games. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (hamstring) was limited in practice Wednesday, so the Patriots could lean on a running game that produced 152 yards last week. With nose tackle Vince Wilfork and top linebacker Jerod Mayo lost for the season, New England made a move to bolster the defensive line by acquiring 330-pound lineman Isaac Sopoaga from Philadelphia.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brady, who is 6-2 lifetime against the Steelers, is tied with New Orleans' Drew Brees for the fourth-most TDs (343) in league history.

2. The Steelers have been outscored 54-19 in the first quarter.

3. Roethlisberger needs one scoring pass to join Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in franchise history with 200.

PREDICTION: Steelers 23, Patriots 20