PITTSBURGH (PSF)—The Patriots snap their five-game losing streak and gain offensive confidence with a primetime 21-18 win over the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.  

Offense:

With quarterback Bailey Zappe starting for the Patriots for his second time this season, the Patriots were hoping to generate some offensive momentum after being shut out in Week 13.

This wish came true when the Patriots’ first drive ended with an 11-yard passing touchdown to running back Ezekiel Elliott. The Steelers answered with a 56-yard field goal.

The Patriots started the second quarter with an interception, which gave the offense the ball in the red zone. Zappe connected with tight end Hunter Henry for an eight-yard touchdown and celebrated with a birthday celebration for Henry.

A couple of plays later, Zappe again connected with Henry for a 24-yard touchdown, extending their lead to 18 points.

The Steelers answered with a 25-yard touchdown of their own with QB Mitch Trubisky connecting with WR Diontae Johnson.

The first half ended with the Patriots up by 11 points.

The third quarter did not have much action until Zappe’s pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster was intercepted by linebacker Mykal Walker. The Steelers did not capitalize on the turnover after giving the ball back to the Patriots after an unsuccessful fourth-down conversion.

The Patriots, also unable to take advantage of the turnover on downs, punted the ball back to the Steelers. Trubisky ran in a one-yard touchdown and then completed a pass to TE Pat Freiermuth for the two-point conversion, tightening the score to just three points.

With a little over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Steelers had the chance to come back. Trubisky’s long pass to Johnson was broken up and the Patriots ran the clock down before having to punt it back to the Steelers.

With only 15 seconds left the Steelers were not able to generate anything enough to score and the Patriots secured their 18-21 victory.

Zappe finished the game with 240 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He completed 68% of his passes and averaged 8.6 yards per pass. Zappe came out and played well, securing his spot as QB1 showed that he is capable of leading this team.

With RB Rhamondre Stevenson out this game due to a high ankle sprain he suffered last game, Elliott stepped up in the backfield. He finished with 68 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Receivers Smith-Schuster and Henry were Zappe’s top targets this game. Smith-Schuster finished with 90 yards receiving and made several big plays, including a huge 37-yard reception, that helped with the offensive momentum. Henry ended his birthday with 40 yards receiving and two touchdowns.  

There was a controversial call late in the fourth quarter that could have changed the trajectory of this game. The penalty was a false start called on Pittsburgh but there are discussions that it should have been called offsides against the Patriots. Had it been on the Patriots it would have been a free play for the Steelers, but instead, the Steelers had to punt it away.

With all the hype around the Steelers’ defense, specifically around T.J. Watt, the Patriots’ offensive line only allowed two sacks. This could also be because of the injuries that plagued the Steelers’ defense, including when Watt was kicked in the face by Elliott on the first drive.

Defense:

The Patriots’ defense continues to show out every game and make key plays, and the offense was finally able to reciprocate their energy.

Jabrill Peppers had the only defensive turnover at the beginning of the second quarter. He picked off Trubisky’s pass intended for Freiermuth and ran 32 yards before being tackled.

The defense sacked Trubisky twice, once by Mack Wilson Sr. and the other was split between Kyle Dugger and Christian Barmore. Trubisky was also hit six times throughout the night.

Linebacker Jahlani Tavai led the team with 15 total tackles, with Jalen Mills, Dugger and Ja’Whaun Bentley behind him with seven total tackles each.

The defense stopped two out of three of the Steelers’ fourth down attempts and only let them convert on three of their 14 third downs.

Takeaways and Looking Forward:

Even with 59 yards of penalties, the Patriots were able to pull out this win. The offense finally clicked enough to score, and this combined with the already dynamic defense led to New England defeating Pittsburgh.

The New England Patriots will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 17 at Gillette Stadium. This game was flexed from a Monday Night game to a Sunday, 1 p.m. game.