Tom Brady dropped back to pass in the second half of last season's Patriots-Steelers game. (Getty Images/Justin K. Aller)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- We've had a few days to digest that tough Patriots loss to the Dolphins--and rather than spend more time listing all the reasons the Pats should've been able to pull off a win, WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman asks Boston Globe NFL reporter Ben Volin in this week's Red Zone Report just what that loss meant. Was it a season-altering defeat, or just another bump in the road?
"I do think it was a season-altering defeat, just because something we've talked about all year is the Patriots, historically, they need home-field advantage in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl," Volin said. "The last five times they've been there, it's been with the number-one seed, and this loss to the Dolphins all but eliminates the Patriots from the number-one seed. This loss to the Dolphins all but eliminates the Patriots from the number-one seed. The Chiefs are going to be very tough to catch now. The Patriots basically need to win out, they need the Chiefs to lose at least two of three games here, and they've only lost two all season."
Now, the Patriots have a huge game against the Pittsburgh Steelers coming up Sunday. In 13 career games against Pittsburgh, Tom Brady has crazy numbers--30 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Does Volin think we can expect more of the same?
"I do think it's going to be tougher sledding," he said. "I do think that the Steelers have a much better defense than the Dolphins ... We almost forget about last year's game. For three quarters, the Steelers' defence did pretty much shut down or contain the Patriots' offense."
Kaufman and Volin also cover the chances of a Patriots defense bounce-back this weekend, whether or not the old Rob Gronkowski is back, if Tom Brady's play has changed for the better, whether we can expect to see more goal-line carries from James Develin, and more predictions for the game.
Listen to the full interview below.
WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports