The New England Patriots managed to squeak by a playoff lurking team in the Steelers Thursday night. In a game that neither fanbase was happy with the overall product, it was the New England Patriots defense that made more stops at the end to seal the victory. Despite some fans hoping for the tank, this Bill Belichick squad all but assured that they would not be drafting first overall in the upcoming draft.
New England Patriots Accepted Special Teams Penalty
It was the Steelers that were the most disciplined team all evening, with their lone accepted penalty against proving to be the costliest. While good special teams play has been a hallmarked staple of the New England Patriots, a call that could have easily gone against them was fortunate to go their way.
With about five minutes to go in the fourth, Christian Kuntz made what appeared to be a routine long snapping motion. Jahlani Tavai jumped across the line, and appeared in utter disbelief, knowing that he had given up a free set of downs. The refs deemed that the movement was enough to constitute a false start, and the Patriots were more or less able to kill off the rest of the game.
Usually leeway, and a greater range of motion is allowed of the snapper. But these type of situations appear to be what the NFL are trying to be more strict on. What kind of situation is that? Punts that are not inherently given fielding situations meaning, the receiving team is not going for the block, or critical moments of the game.
Of course this type of judgement and inconsistency is exactly what has been frustrating about officiating this year. Going into the season teams need to be informed how plays will be consistently called throughout the entirety of the year. In this case, will the head movement from the snapper be allowed or not? Unfortunately for us, it was a call that really could have gone either way.
New England Patriots Defense
That being said, even with that first down, Mitch Trubisky was not playing well and was far more likely to throw a pick six than to lead a scoring drive from his own 43. The defense was starting to bring pressure on the quarterback, and the secondary was playing well. It took a short field off of a blocked punt for the Steelers to score at all in the second half.
There were good performances from the defense, but these two players stood out. The aforementioned Tavai was all over the field making plays from his linebacker position finishing with 15 total tackles. Anfernee Jennings was a disruptive force fighting off blocks well and making plays in the backfield. He ended up with three tackles for loss, but really was a nightmare for the Steelers offensive line
New England Patriots First Half Offense
It finally happened. For one half, the New England Patriots offense looked capable of competing in the NFL. Bailey Zappe completed two beautiful passes for touchdowns. Hunter Henry made two equally spectacular catches on on both plays. On the first one, he toe tapped for the score, on the second, he twisted his body and showed great ball handling and awareness to secure the ball.
While those were exciting glimpses, the highlights more or less ended there, as particularly in the second half the offense struggled. Ezekiel Elliott caught an 11 yard pass for an end zone play, but was mostly serving the team in the battering ram role. He finished with 22 carries for 68 yards, but also was able to contribute 72 receiving yards. Still he is making the case to potentially be brought back again for next year.
New England Patriots Going Forward
For now, Bailey Zappe looks like a potential QB to keep next year as a backup, and the defense showed that it can still step up, even when not helped out as they were not in the second half.
Overall the Patriots were fortunate to leave Pittsburgh with a win. While it will quiet the demands for complete overhauling change for now, there is a lot to watch going forward about this team.