PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL used to come to a near standstill whenever the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots met.
Now, not so much. Thursday night's meeting might merit a passing glance.
If that.
The two teams that will run onto the Acrisure Stadium turf won't have future Hall of Fame quarterbacks at the controls. They won't be fighting for home-field advantage in the playoffs or a spot in the Super Bowl.
The Patriots (2-10) are simply looking for something — anything — to build on amid a five-game losing streak that has a team that used to pick last in each round of the draft nearly every year at the height of the Tom Brady era to somehow perhaps pick first.