5 NFL teams that must win in Week 2

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 08: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline during the game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

4 of 5

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 08: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Of all the teams on this list, the Pittsburgh Steelers had arguably the worst performance in Week 1. In a big prime-time showdown with the New England Patriots, the Steelers laid an absolute egg, getting walloped 33-3 at Gillette Stadium.

Pittsburgh couldn’t get its running game going, gaining only 32 yards on 13 carries, and that forced Ben Roethlisberger to air the ball out far more than the Steelers would have wanted. Roethlisberger chucked it 47 times but only passed for 276 yards, and no one outside of JuJu Smith-Schuster made much of an impact on the outside.

This led to a fair amount of panic in Pittsburgh, and some critics are wondering if the Steelers’ offense will be the same without departed stars Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. It is still too early to panic, however, especially since the Patriots looked like world beaters who could easily cruise to an 8-0 start.

Pittsburgh never plays well in New England, and Roethlisberger has fared far better at home than on the road in recent years. The Steelers are back home on Sunday and they get the Seattle Seahawks, who struggled mightily to get by the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 1.

Seattle didn’t look great in that game, so this is a game the Steelers should take advantage of to right the ship. Pittsburgh’s upcoming schedule is favorable with games at San Francisco and against Cincinnati coming after this matchup, but the Steelers should avoid testing fate and just pick up a win here.