Rob Gronkowski spent nine seasons in New England, won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and remains one of the most recognizable players in franchise history.
None of that was enough to sway his Week 2 prediction.
With the Patriots preparing to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, Gronkowski was asked to pick a winner during Wednesday’s episode of “Up & Adams.” The former New England tight end went against his old team.
“I’m going with the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Gronkowski said.
It is a notable pick from a player whose connection to New England hardly disappeared when his playing career ended. But Gronkowski did not make the prediction simply for shock value. He pointed directly to what he saw from Pittsburgh in Week 1 and, in particular, a Steelers defense that could present problems for Drake Maye and a Patriots offense already dealing with a major loss.
Rob Gronkowski Explains Why He’s Picking Steelers Over Patriots
Gronkowski expects a close game, but Pittsburgh’s defense ultimately tipped his prediction toward the Steelers.
“This is going to be a tough test,” Gronkowski said. “I really like what I saw out of the Steelers. I mean, it’s kind of the same old Steelers, though. With Mike Tomlin, without Mike Tomlin, now with Mike McCarthy. It’s how the Steelers have been winning games throughout the last 10 years: Solid defense. T.J. Watt came out to play, which was great to see. They need that play throughout the whole year. The offense was stable, but it wasn’t great.”
Watt gave Gronkowski plenty of reason to take notice in Pittsburgh’s 20-13 season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons. The star linebacker recorded two sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
That defense now gets a New England offense coming off a difficult opener of its own.
The Patriots lost 13-10 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 despite entering the season with significant expectations after last year’s run to the Super Bowl. Maye completed nearly 70% of his passes and threw a touchdown, but he finished with fewer than 200 passing yards and was intercepted three times.
His final interception came in the end zone with New England attempting to erase a three-point deficit in the closing seconds.
And the challenge facing Maye became considerably more difficult when the Patriots lost their biggest offseason addition.
Patriots Will Face Pittsburgh Without A.J. Brown
A.J. Brown will not be on the field when New England plays its first home game of the season.
The Patriots placed Brown on injured reserve after he suffered a high ankle sprain in the opener against Seattle. NFL Network reported that Brown is expected to miss approximately six weeks, leaving New England without its No. 1 receiver for an important early stretch of the schedule.
Brown caught three passes for 26 yards before leaving his Patriots debut.
His absence puts additional pressure on Maye and a receiving corps that includes Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Against Watt and a Pittsburgh defense that already produced a game-changing performance in Week 1, that matchup could become one of the defining battles Sunday.
Gronkowski still stopped well short of dismissing New England. Calling the matchup a “tough test” reflected how closely he expects the two teams to be matched.
But when it came time to actually choose one, he went with Pittsburgh.
For a player who built a Hall of Fame-caliber career in Foxborough and remains closely associated with the Patriots, that makes Gronkowski’s first prediction against New England this season considerably more interesting.
The Patriots will have their chance to prove him wrong Sunday.
New England hosts Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 20 at Gillette Stadium.
Rob Gronkowski Makes Surprising Patriots-Steelers Prediction Ahead of Week 2