NFL: Patriots Defy Odds to Win Over Steelers
Sometimes the outcomes of football games are complex, and sometimes they are blatantly obvious.
The Pittsburgh Steelers versus New England Patriots game was one of the latter. Tom Brady and the Patriots were in Pittsburgh on Sunday against the Steelers, looking for a rebound from last week’s loss against the Cleveland Browns.
The Patriots were successful, winning the game, 39-26.
Brady was obviously the best player on the field. He dissected the Steelers’ defense in their victory, which is very difficult for any team to do. In a game that was big for both teams, Brady proved to be the difference in the outcome of the game.
The Patriots offense ran for 453 yards and improved to 7-2 and the Steelers falling to 6-3, running a total of 425.
Interestingly, all three of Brady’s TD passes were to Rob Gronkowski.
One of the major plays in the game was in the fourth quarter, when Ben Roethlisberger’s passing attempt was intercepted by James Sanders, who ran it back 32 yards to the end zone for a TD.
Roethlisberger then passed to Hines Ward a few plays later, followed by Ward promptly being taken down in a helmet-to-helmet tackle. Ward was out for the rest of the game due to a concussion.
The Patriots were pushed around by the Browns last Sunday, and were up against the Steelers this week, which everybody thought would do the same deal.
The Steelers were 60 % favorites to win the game, thanks to Roethlisberger showing better numbers than Brady, averaging 260 yards, while Brady’s projected yardage was only 250. Also, Pittsburgh’s defense held the Patriots’ running backs to average only three
yards per carry in their previous games. Because of these figures, ESPN predicted that the Steelers would win, but Brady and the Patriots surprised everyone.
The Patriots also increased their average 3.5 yards per carry to 4.3, with 103 rushing yards, while the Steelers managed only 76.
Brady averaged 8.1 yards per completion along with 3 TDs, totaling 350 yards in 30 of 43 attempts giving him a QB rating of 117.4. Roethlisberger averaged 7.9 yards, but attained 387 total yards for 3 TDs and threw one interception, giving him a 97.9 rating.
He threw 30 of 49.
Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis led the Patriots in rushing with 18 carries for 87 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, while Rashard Mendenhall was Pittsburgh’s rushing leader with 11 carries for 50 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
Wes Welker led the Patriots in terms of receiving, with 8 receptions for 89 yards, averaging 11.1 yards, but Gronkowski deserves an honorable mention, since he made only five receptions for 72 yards, averaging 14.4 per reception, but three of his five receptions
were TDs.
Pittsburgh’s Mike Wallace was their receiving leader with eight receptions for 136 yards, averaging 17 per reception, and two were TDs.
The Patriots scored twice in the first quarter. Once with a pass from Brady to Gronkowski for 19 yards, followed by a PAT by Shayne Graham, and then a 31 yard FG by Graham 8 minutes later. At the end of the first, the Pat’s were ahead, 10-0.
Jeff Reed of the Steelers kicked a 22 yard FG with 5:08 left in the second to make the score 10-3.
Gronkowski made another TD reception with 12:11 left in the fourth with a 9 yard pass from Brady, followed by a PAT to make the score 17-3. Nine and a half minutes later, Brady ran for 3 yards to score another TD, with a failed PAT attempt to give them
a 20 point lead, 23-3.
In the fourth, Roethlisberger passed to Emmanuel Sanders for 6 yards for a TD, with a good PAT attempt to bring them up to 10. James Sanders then made a 32 yards interception returned, followed by a failed two-point conversion to bring them up, 29-10.
Roethlisberger then passed to Wallace for 15 yards and a two-point conversion, making it 29-18.
Gronkowski made another TD reception, followed by Wallace making one for the Steelers, and then a 36 yard FG by the Patriots, ending the game at 39-26.
The Steelers’ next game will be against the Oakland Raiders, and the Pat’s next will be against the Indianapolis Colts. Both games are on Sunday November 21. Stay tuned!
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