Their souls and style are about as old school as can be. A low scoring affair was to be expected as the Patriots beat the Steelers 17-14.
Patriots
“Well, that was a good team win for us. You know, really proud of the way the guys competed here. This is a great, you know, football city, football environment. A lot of energy in this stadium today. And I thought our guys responded to it well. Good plays on all three areas of the game,” said Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick.
“You know, Pittsburgh is tough, like they always are. And a battle back and forth with them. But, you know, I thought that our play there in the fourth quarter was, you know, we came up with some big plays, two big three and out stops. And then held the ball for whatever it was, six minutes of the game. And we were able to run it out and kneel on it. So, some good, good football when we needed it the most.”
With less talent than most of their opponents they have to be impeccable with the fundamentals and to make less mental mistakes than the opposition (less turnovers). They did it today.
While both teams threw interceptions, the biggest play of the game was former Patriots player Gunner Olszewski’s muffed punt. It gave the Patriots the ball at the Pittsburgh 10 and they promptly scored.
Playing calling and the scheme was inconsistent at best, but the New England offense was pretty efficient for a low scoring performance. In the air, the passing attack took advantage of the weak pockets of the Pittsburgh zone defense.
The running game was dominate by the end of the game as the Steelers defense was gassed. It helps to have a power back like Rhamondre Stevenson.
Special Teams on kickoffs and punts was great as they were able to cause the biggest play of the game. Field Goal kicking had a miss but Pittsburgh historically is hard to kick in.
Next New England have their home opener as they host the Baltimore Ravens.
Steelers
The Steelers defense and New England’s offensive style kept Pittsburgh in the game. Offensively it was a struggle from the get go.
They couldn’t run the ball and averaged 3.3 yards per carry by their running backs. They couldn’t throw the ball either, Mitchell Trubisky had one completion over 20 yards. The offensive line wasn’t good and the Patriots sacked Trubisky three times.
It also hurt to not have superstar pass rusher T.J. Watt. Jones wasn’t sacked once and for the most part he wasn’t hurried much. When they had to defend a full drive they held New England to 10 points. It was only 17 because of the Special Teams error.
Next the Steelers play Thursday night in Cleveland for a matchup with the Browns.
Make sure to continue following the Patriots here at Gridiron Heroics, here’s an article about why the NFL season is a “race against time”.
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