While it’s anybody’s guess as to how the 2019 NFL season will end, we now know how it will start.
The Athletic’s Nick Underhill is reporting that the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in next year’s season opener. The time and date is not yet known, but the full NFL schedule is expected to be released on Wednesday night. (RELATED: Tom Brady Remembers Draft Day Anniversary With Instagram Post)
Patriots open the season against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football, according to a source
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 17, 2019
If this is, indeed, the opening game of next season, then it was a great choice. These are arguably the two greatest franchises in NFL history, with each having won six Super Bowls throughout their histories. So, it’s only fitting that it appears the two teams will start their journey toward a record seventh Super Bowl against each other.
These two teams have also played some classic games in recent decades, although most of the contests so far in the 21st century have gone the Patriots’ way.
Tom Brady has also had unprecedented success throughout his career against the Steelers, who almost always have an elite defense. Throughout his legendary career, Brady holds a record of 11-3 against the Steelers, and has never lost to them at home.
So, will the Steelers change the narrative?
Or will Brady and the Patriots once again stomp out the “steel curtain” on their way to another Super Bowl?
No matter what happens, I can’t think of a better way to start the 2019 season. The NFL got this one right.