The Patriots get their first win of the season in a statement win as well, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in almost every facet possible. The offense led by Mac Jones took strides from their previous game especially from their offensive line. Defensively, the secondary had a great game and even though they started the year off strong, the defense still found a way to improve on an already sturdy base.
The Patriots went on to win 17-14 and would outplay the Steelers in almost every way especially offensively. The Patriots outgained the Steelers in total yards 376-to-243 and completely destroyed them in passing 252-to-152. Part of that was the stellar play from the defense but take nothing away from Mac Jones and the receiving core, which yesterday was led by Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholar. Agholar in particular had a great performance and in the second quarter caught a 44-yard touchdown by "Mossing" the Pittsburgh corner and scampering into the end zone.
On the defensive side of the ball there isn't much to complain about. They limited the Steelers to 152 passing yards, including only 106 yards to receivers. The team would also cause 3 sacks and recover a fumble while only allowing a 35.4 QBR for Mitchell Trubisky. All-in-all it was a very impressive performance and a complete team performance, as not one man stood out. Plays were being made by the stars of the team as well as role players and rookies. The Steelers were only able to break one play over 20 yards and had 0 rushes for the milestone showing the discipline of the Patriots and especially their secondary and safeties.
This win was an old school Patriots win. Demanding defense mixed with superior clock management, with perfect special teams play and a brutally efficient offensive game plan minus the one interception. It comes against a formidable team as well as the Steelers have a great defense and have always had a consistent offense. This win puts them in prime position as they make their home debut next week against a strong Ravens team who also lost to the Dolphins but put up 38 points in doing so. Don't expect them to do that again as their game in Foxborough will most likely come down to the wire similarly to this game against the Steelers. For the preview on that matchup, make sure you check out our website for Patriots Preview on Thursday at noon as we will for every week of the season.
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Stay tuned as we continue coverage on the Patriots and continue coverage on the NFL 2022-23 season all year.
-Z.D.