On their way to a heavyweight fight, the New England Patriots were flattened by a lightweight.
Now the Patriots must regroup from a lopsided loss as they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday night in a clash of two teams tied for the lead in their respective divisions.
Last week's stunning 34-14 loss at the Cleveland Browns took a bit of luster off the much-anticipated matchup between Pittsburgh and New England.
Still, it shapes up as one of the marquee games of the season between two franchises who have won five of the past nine Super Bowls and are once again tied for the best record in the AFC with 6-2 marks.
The Patriots were riding a five-game winning streak into Cleveland but were ambushed by the Browns behind a career-high 184 rushing yards from Peyton Hillis.
Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy completed 14 of 19 passes against New England's struggling defense as Cleveland controlled the ball for over 38 minutes.
Despite their 6-2 record, the Patriots have held just two opponents under 20 points this season and are in the bottom third of the league in most defensive categories.
That could bode well for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has guided the Steelers to a 3-1 record since returning from a four-game suspension to start the season.
Roethlisberger played exceptionally well in his first two games back, throwing for 559 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. He has leveled off since, throwing for under 200 yards in each of the last two games with one scoring pass and two picks.
Pittsburgh built a 20-point lead before holding off a furious rally and needing a big defensive stop in the final seconds to preserve a 27-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and speedster Mike Wallace had five receptions for 110 yards, including a 39-yard scoring pass. Wallace is averaging an NFL-high 23.0 yards per reception.
Defensively, Pittsburgh is again among the league leaders, ranking first in points allowed per game (15.4) and yards rushing per game (58.3).
The Steelers are vulnerable to the pass, though, ranking 24th in the league, and that’s likely the area Tom Brady and the Patriots will try to exploit.
Brady has had great success against Pittsburgh in his career, going 5-1 and averaging over 300 yards passing per game. He was 19 of 36 for 224 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s defeat.
New England’s scoring production has dipped markedly since wide receiver Randy Moss was traded. In four games with Moss, the Patriots piled up 131 points; in the four games without him, they have managed just 88.
Wes Welker has a team-high 44 receptions but has struggled since Moss’ departure. Rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez has helped pick up the slack with 36 receptions, including five for 48 yards and his first two career touchdowns last week.