The Patriots snapped their five-game losing streak on Thursday night with a 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium to push New England to 3-10 on the season. With this loss, Mike Tomlin's team drops to 7-6 and will continue to fight for a playoff spot in the AFC.
For a game that was not expected to feature much scoring, these teams combined for 39 points. The majority came in the first half where New England jumped out to a 21-10 lead, thanks to three passing touchdowns from Bailey Zappe, who was logging his second consecutive start of the season after the benching of Mac Jones. For the first time this season, the Patriots drove 75 yards and scored an opening-drive touchdown. That sparked a 21-3 run that was also headlined by two receiving touchdowns from tight end Hunter Henry.
As the Patriots offense hummed out of the gate, it was a struggle for Pittsburgh under Mitch Trubisky, who was starting in place of the injured Kenny Pickett. The Steelers started 0 for 5 on third down, which helped the Patriots build up their lead.
While New England started off hot, the offense did go silent in the second half, which allowed Pittsburgh to creep back into the game and cut the lead down to just three points in the fourth quarter. That late rally was propelled, thanks to a blocked punt with just over 13 minutes left in regulation. That gave the Steelers the ball at the Patriots 26-yard line and trailing 21-10. Trubisky rushed from the goal line for a touchdown and then completed a two-point conversion to Pat Freiermuth to get within a field goal.
With 2:01 left in the game, the ball at midfield, and facing a fourth-and-2 situation, Mike Tomlin then kept his offense on the field, but the last-ditch gamble did not pay off as Trubisky opted for a deep ball to Diontae Johnson that fell incomplete. That turned the ball over on downs and New England effectively ran out the clock en route to a rare win in 2023.
Zappe finished his night 19 of 28 passing for 240 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. His go-to target was running back Ezekiel Elliott, who saw a game-high eight targets. He caught seven of them for 72 yards and a touchdown while also adding 68 yards rushing on 22 carries. Trubisky was 22 of 35 passing for 190 yards, two total touchdowns (one rushing) and an interception.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out our main takeaways below.
Why the Patriots won
New England enjoyed its most explosive game on offense of the season, particularly in the first half where it scored 21 points. That was the most points in any half for the Patriots this season. To further emphasize their offensive explosion, they totaled 13 points in their previous three games combined. Zappe seemed to be in good rhythm early and was able to move around the pocket with relative ease. Even when Pittsburgh did apply some pressure early on, the second-year quarterback was able to climb up in the pocket and make the necessary throws. On just his second throw of the night, Zappe completed a 37-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. That throw was New England's first completed pass of 30 or more air yards this season (h/t ESPN). They were 0 for 18 prior to that completion.
While the offense was able to build up a lead, the Patriots defense continued to be a terror for the opposition. It stifled Pittsburgh on third down and forced a turnover in the first half that was later cashed in for a touchdown. The second half saw the offense quiet down and poor execution on special teams helped the Steelers get within striking distance, but New England's defense forcing a key punt and a turnover on downs on two of the final three possession truly slammed the door on a potential comeback.
Why the Steelers lost
The offense didn't start off on the best foot. Pittsburgh began the game with an opening field goal drives, but then proceeded to have three three-and-outs with an interception mixed in there as well. In that time, the defense allowed Zappe to throw for three touchdowns and build up a lead that even their second-half rally couldn't overcome. The execution on third down was a struggle throughout the night (3 of 14), but began the game 0 for 5 on the key down.
Even when the offense did start to get into a bit of a rhythm, it was still a slog. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, it took Pittsburgh 7:09 and 11 plays to travel 32 yards before punting it away to New England. It was that kind of day for the offense. That lack of a downfield passing attack also allowed the Patriots defense to play downhill and stifle the running game, which averaged just 2.9 yards per carry.
There was also questionable decisions down the stretch, which we highlight in our "Turning Point" second below.
Turning point
There were a couple of head-scratching moments from the Steelers and Trubisky in this game, but none more than the play-calling and decision-making on their second-to-last possession of the game. At that point, Pittsburgh had plenty of momentum and found itself trailing by a field goal. After Trubisky completed a second-and-10 throw for Diontae Johnson for an eight-yard game, the offense was looking at a third-and-2 situation from their 49-yard line and a little over two minutes to play in regulation.
Instead of running the ball or opting for a short passing play to move the sticks to ensure that the drive stayed alive, Trubisky threw two deep shots on third and fourth down that both fell incomplete and turned the ball over. That poor execution and lack of awareness then allowed the Patriots to gain possession and run out the clock.
Play of the game
Zappe tapered off a bit in the second half, but was stellar to begin the game as the Patriots built up their lead. He made arguably the best throw out of any New England signal-caller this season in the second quarter when he hit Henry on a 24-yard touchdown. Zappe pumped in the direction of JuJu Smith-Schuster at the line of scrimmage and then threw a perfectly placed ball into the outstretched arms of Henry right as he crossed into the end zone.
That gave Henry -- who was celebrating his 29th birthday on Thursday -- his second touchdown of the night. The tight end became just the fifth player in the last 30 seasons to record two receiving touchdowns on his birthday (h/t ESPN), joining DeVonta Smith (2021), Jimmy Graham (2014), Terrell Owens (2003) and Isaac Bruce (2002).
What's next
From here, the Patriots will return to Foxborough and gear up for a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 17. As for the Steelers, they'll travel to Indianapolis for a Week 15 matchup against the Colts that'll take place next Saturday.