Pittsburgh —In addition to winning for pride, the New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21–18 thanks to a valiant performance.
The Patriots showed to viewers throughout the nation on national television this season how difficult it can be to maintain control in fiercely contested games. It’s been challenging to execute plays that may alter the course of the game and tighten their defence.
In the end, they discovered that they were having trouble in that area against the Steelers—quite a task.
With a 21-10 advantage, they had an amazing first half and looked as powerful as they had all season. To close things out in the second half, they depended on their excellent defence. Jonathan Jones, an experienced cornerback, played a strong covering role during the Steelers’ desperate attempt.
The results on Thursday night can teach us the following about both teams:
New England’s New Patriot
Two words to sum up the game: Holden Stidham. The former backup quarterback turned starter turned in his best quarterbacking performance of the year, making history as the first New England player to toss three touchdowns in thefirst half of a match since 2018 with Tom Brady.
Jakobi Meyers’ 37-yard pass from Stidham on a third-down try was the pivotal play. Having started the season 0-for-18 on deep throws, it was Stidham’s first chance to complete over 30 air yards this season, demonstrating his willingness to attack downfield.
Breakout Performance, Part I
Hunter and the Titans Henry scored two touchdowns to commemorate turning 29 years old.It was a well-earned prize for the team captain, who persevered through a difficult season. He joined the ranks of Deion Lewis (2015 vs. Broncos), Jimmy Graham (2014 vs. Ravens), Terrell Owens (2003 vs. Cardinals), and Isaac Bruce (2002 vs. Chargers) as the fifth player in the previous thirty seasons to score two touchdowns on his birthday.
Worrisome Trend:
The Patriots, who were behind the Cardinals at halftime and had a 3-10 record going into the game, prevailed in a thrilling comeback to tie the game.
Breakout Performance, Part II:
A workhorse, seasoned running back Ezekiel Elliott started in lieu of an injured Ramondre Stevenson. He hardly left the pitch, offering a two-pronged threat as a passer and runner. J.C. Jackson’s memorable performance was enhanced magnificently by his interception. — Mike Reiss
The following game is on Sunday, December 17 at 1:00 PM ET against the Chiefs.
“Pittsburgh Steelers
Not as the AFC North champions but as a strong wild-card team, the Steelers were in a great position to make the postseason less than five days ago. Although the attack was not flawless, its effects were beginning to be felt. The defence held up well. But the Steelers’ arrow is pointing anywhere but up after losing to the Patriots, their second straight setback against one of the weakest teams in the league.
Belichick’s relentless defence, which ranks last in points per game, gave the team 21 points from the defence, and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky and his team’s offence were unable to handle the pressure, resulting in 264 yards of ineffective play.
Confusion in lining up forced the Steelers to burn a timeout after they pulled within a field goal inside the 8-yard line at the beginning of the fourth quarter and faced the goal; this struggle on the line shouldn’t be occurring in Week 14.
The Steelers were penalised once more in their game against the Patriots, even though Interim Offensive Coordinator Ed Falconer addressed their problems following two straight losses against the Arizona Cardinals. Chukwuma Okorafor, a tackle, entered the game as an extra lineman this time and was penalised for failing to cover the tackle. Then, with the goal in front of them at the beginning of the fourth quarter, right before the 8-yard line,The confusion in lining up caused the Steelers to burn a timeout, demonstrating that a struggle on the line in Week 14 is not appropriate.
Continued Struggle II:
The Steelers fell short against a team that had only won two games going into the game for the second week in a row. After Hunter Henry’s second touchdown on Sunday, the Steelers trailed the Arizona Cardinals by 21 points; on Thursday night, they were trailing the Patriots by 18 points. The Steelers haven’t trailed by at least eighteen points in back-to-back games since 2013. Additionally, this is the first time under Mike Tomlin that the team has trailed by this much in back-to-back home games.
Continued Struggle III:
The homecoming game’s curse. When playing against a cupcake team, Tomlin likes to remind his players that there is no guarantee of victory in an NFL homecoming game. However, the Steelers have been successful in a different kind of homecoming game over the past two weeks. Former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, had his best game of the season in the first half with a season-high score against the Patriots, following James Conner’s 105 yards and two touchdowns in back-to-back weeks that demonstrated their best game of the season. With three catches, Smith-Schuster gained 82 yards, including a 37-yard disadvantage that was present in 18 games as the Patriots’ first touchdown on the first drive of 13 games.Furthermore, he proved his willingness to attack the ball by becoming the first Patriots player to complete at least 30 air yards this season and going 18-0 on throws longer than 18 yards in the dark.
Ray of Hope:
Yes, Elandon Roberts is the real deal. Despite the Steelers losing two of their three starting inside linebackers in consecutive weeks this season, Roberts has shown himself to be a strong player in between the hashes.Due to a back injury, Roberts missed practice all week and was not in the starting lineup for the game on Sunday.On Thursday night, he did, however, make two noteworthy plays: a 10-yard sack and a pass breakup that resulted in Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception in the end zone. The brutality that the Steelers desire in their inside linebackers was demonstrated by Roberts, but the aggressive game did not change the outcome.
Key Play:
At the start of the fourth quarter, Miles Killebrew timed his block of the Patriots’ punt perfectly, giving the Steelers a short field for their next drive. After four games, the Steelers finally had a chance for a field goal, starting from position 26. – Brook Pryor
The following game is on Saturday, December 16 at 3:30 PM ET against the Colts.”
