Mitch Trubisky got a heavy dose of a rivalry with the Patriots a year ago.
Trubisky, a backup in Buffalo last season, took on New England three times, including a 47-17 blowout win in the AFC Wild Card round.
Now, as a starter in Pittsburgh, he’s hoping to draw on those experiences — even as a backup to Josh Allen — on Sunday when the Steelers welcome rival New England to Acrisure Stadium.
“I saw them a lot last year and we broke down every single game and studied them a lot,” Trubisky said Wednesday. “That definitely helps coming into this week. I’m just seeing what type of things that I saw last year that could carry into this year.”
In that playoff win, Allen scorched Bill Belichick’s defense for 308 yards and five touchdowns, while also running for 66 yards. Allen also tossed for 314 yards and three scores, while running for another 64, in a win over New England the day after Christmas.
But Trubisky figures it won’t be that easy come Sunday, and the the Patriots — coming off a 20-7 loss in Miami Sunday — will be a far bigger test for he and the Steelers’ offense.
“You always expect that, a great Patriots defense, fundamentally sound,” he said. “They get after the football and make it hard on the quarterback.
“We just have to have a great week of preparation. You always expect them to be well coached and have great players on that side. So it’s gong to be a good challenge for us.”
Trubsky may have some insider help, too.
Steelers linebacker and senior defensive assistant Brian Flores, who coached under Belichick in New England from 2008-2018 before becoming Miami’s head coach, knows the New England system well.
“Him being there gives us a good insight on what they may be talking about and how they may be game planning for us,” Trubisky said of Flores, who went 4-2 against New England while leading the Dolphins, including three straight wins against his former team before being fired.
“If we just keep those things in mind, and have a good work week, I think it could be a good advantage for us.”
This matchup, traditionally, has been a marquee one for the NFL. This is the first time since 1998 that a Steelers-Patriots game will kick off at 1 p.m., breaking a streak of 16 games either in the 4 p.m. time slot or in prime time.
Of course, the reason for that has centered around the success of the two franchises — with 12 combined Super Bowls — and the two quarterbacks that led them for so long, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
Now, it’s a new day. Brady is gone. Roethlisberger is retired. The game isn’t perhaps the draw that it was when the teams last meet in 2019. But Trubisky is ready to dip his toe into the water, make a name for himself, and perhaps return the rivalry to more prominence.
“It’s really cool,” he said. “Always, growing up, you watch the legends of this game. Great quarterback play has been a big part of this game.”