After a busy offseason, the New England Patriots are finally in a groove in the AFC East. This weekend they’ll get the opportunity to show that they still deserve to be taking up prime real estate on the Super Bowl futures list by making short work of an old rival: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Heading into the Week 9 clash, the Pats have a 7-point advantage on the NFL spread and 12/1 odds of winning the Super Bowl. The Steelers, in contrast, have struggled to reach even .500 in the standings and are a virtual non-factor when it comes to long-term NFL betting. Despite that they’re trending in opposite directions here in 2013, it’s hard for any football fan to look at the pairing and not think back to when the two clubs were perennial contenders to win the championship. Times may have changed for both franchises, the years kinder to Tom Brady and the Pats than to Ben Roethlisberger and company, but both remain competent threats with just enough experience to eke out a win in any given matchup. Think you know how it will unfold?