NFL Sunday: Chiefs, Steelers, Patriots, Jaguars, Giants and Cowboys live on Sky Sports
Sky Sports NFL Sunday previews are powered by the team at Pro Football Focus; watch live on Sky Sports Action from 5pm, with Redzone on SS Mix from 6pm
Monday 17 September 2018 05:45, UK
Live Sunday night NFL action returns with our second triple-bill of the 2018 season, including a repeat of last year's AFC Championship game.
We are live on Sky Sports Action (channel 407) from 5pm for an hour's build-up. Here's a look ahead to what you can expect as we preview Sunday's game.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0-1), KO 6pm
Form guide
The Chiefs roll into Pittsburgh hot off a dominant offensive performance in Los Angeles against the Chargers. In his first game as a starter since the departure of Alex Smith, second-year passer Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns and 256 yards with no interceptions. Tyreek Hill stole the show with 169 yards receiving and two touchdowns, plus a 91-yard punt return for a score.
Things didn't go so smoothly for the Steelers, as they slumped to a 21-21 overtime tie with the Browns in Cleveland. Six turnovers kept the Browns in it despite Pittsburgh racking up 472 yards on offense. It was the first time Pittsburgh had failed to beat Cleveland in seven meetings.
Live NFL
Stat attack
With 76 passing yards on Sunday, Ben Roethlisberger will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway (51,475) for the seventh-most passing yards in NFL history.
Key battle
Ones to watch
Hill had arguably the best performance in the league in Week One, and he alone is worth tuning into the game for. Mahomes' rocket arm is a joy to watch. Travis Kelce, Kansas City's big-bodied tight end, has been in the top four in 'avoided tackles' in each of the last four years, according to PFF. Running back Kareem Hunt led the league with 19 runs of 15-plus yards last year.
Steelers running back James Conner performed in Le'Veon Bell's absence, racking up 192 yards from scrimmage in Week One. But the true star is wide receiver Antonio Brown. He managed over 100 receptions and 1,200 yards in each of the last five years, adding 52 touchdowns in that span. He is the best receiver in the league, playing at his prime.
New England Patriots (1-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0), KO 9.25pm
Form guide
The Patriots opened up the season in typical fashion with a win. Tom Brady picked up where he left off last season with a 277-yards, three-touchdown day, while Rob Gronkowski hauled in seven balls for 123 yards as they toppled the Houston Texans. They are the AFC favourites until proven otherwise.
Jacksonville followed last year's blueprint for success in their road victory over the New York Giants, as linebacker Myles Jack took an Eli Manning interception back for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the team an unassailable lead. Expect them to come out fired up after a heartbreaking playoff defeat to New England last season.
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Stat attack
According to PFF, Brady and Gronkowski rank first in yards (4,492), touchdowns (37) and passer rating (120.0) among quarterback-tight end duos over the last five seasons.
Key battle
Ones to watch
Outside of Brady and Gronkowski, running back James White might see a heavy load in an injury-filled backfield.
Jacksonville's defense is essentially a Pro Bowl roster - Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson, Calais Campbell, Telvin Smith, Myles Jack, Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye, Barry Church... the list goes on. All of them are capable of making game-changing plays at any time.
New York Giants (0-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (0-1), 1.20am
Form guide
New York faced one of the toughest Week One opponents in Jacksonville and were limited offensively apart from a stunning run by rookie Saquon Barkley for his first NFL touchdown. They did, however, hold the Jags to 305 total yards.
Similarly, the Cowboys lost out in a defensive battle - 16-8 to the Carolina Panthers. It's hard to find the positives as Dak Prescott threw for just 170 yards on 29 attempts (19 completions) and Ezekiel Elliott was limited to 69 yards on 15 carries.
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Stat attack
Last season, when Cowboys' linebacker Sean Lee was on the field, the Dallas defense allowed 4.4. yards per play, which would have ranked first in the league. Without him, they allowed 6.1. This would have put them 32nd - dead-last in the league.
Key battle
Ones to watch
You can't watch the Giants without keeping your eyes fixed on $95m man Odell Beckham Jr. He and Barkley form arguably the most explosive and dangerous running back-wide receiver tandem in football. Safety Landon Collins has been a Pro Bowler in each of the last two seasons and is a true ball-hawk in the secondary.
Elliott is the main man in Dallas - the offense goes through him. On defense, DeMarcus Lawrence is an elite pass rusher. His pressure rate (18.6 per cent) was the highest in the NFL among edge defenders last season (tied with Von Miller).
@PFF will provide a host of in-depth analysis throughout the season across Sky Sports platforms including our live coverage on Sunday and throughout our weekly build-up and reaction on www.skysports.com/NFL
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