Watt and the potent pass rush should have feasted on an offensive line that ranks near the bottom of the league in every protection stat. It should have been the perfect get-right game for the Steelers. The Patriots’ offense has fluctuated between haphazard and humiliating, with revered coach Bill Belichick putting himself on the hot seat by proving unable to figure out which quarterback (or how many) to play. The opponent? A case study in what happens when a Hall of Fame quarterback moves on without a succession plan. Pittsburgh’s defense entered the game ranked sixth in scoring, allowing just 19.1 points per game, and was climbing its way into the elite conversation. Styx’s presence should have been just another way of setting the stage for a dominant defensive performance. After a rousing ovation from the crowd - one that was even more emphatic than any player got during pregame introductions moments earlier - they stepped to midfield to sing the national anthem. The band that wrote “Renegade,” the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive anthem, was on hand for Thursday Night Football. The Terrible Towels twirled as Styx blared through the crisp December air at Acrisure Stadium - a familiar fourth-quarter feeling on the city’s North Shore.īut this time, with one significant difference. 500 team in NFL history to lose consecutive games, both to teams at least eight games under. The Steelers (7-6) lost to a 10-loss team for the second consecutive week.Īccording to the Amazon broadcast, the Steelers are the first over. The Patriots (3-10) won for the first time since Oct.

But on two drives where the Steelers could have tied or won the game, they went just 35 yards on 13 plays, punting once and turning the ball over on downs. They scored 15 consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 21-18 when Trubisky ran for a 1-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers, starting backup Mitch Trubisky, were just 3-of-14 on third down and had just one play of more than 20 yards until the final possession. But New England held on against a Pittsburgh offense that struggled to gain traction all game. The second half was a different story: The Patriots gained just 69 yards on 22 plays and ran just three plays in Steelers territory. Zappe, making his second consecutive start, threw one touchdown to Ezekiel Elliott and two to Hunter Henry as the Patriots built a 21-3 lead. New England, which was shut out in a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last week, scored a touchdown on its opening drive and looked unexpectedly efficient on offense early. Bailey Zappe threw three first-half touchdowns and the New England Patriots' defense did enough in the second half to preserve a 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, snapping a five-game losing streak while damaging Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.

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