The Patriots welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Gillette Stadium today for a classic matchup of two of the most successful teams in the NFL over the past decade. Interestingly, what’s defined each team over the course of the 2013 season hasn’t been their continued success, but instead their perceived weaknesses. For Pittsburgh, their slow meander away from the classic Steelers blueprint (running and playing aggressive defense) has led to a disappointing 2-5 start. For New England, a depleted receiving corps and key injuries on defense have led to people continuing to doubt them despite a 6-2 record. Each team in the Patriots vs. Steelers matchup will be looking to notch an important mid-season win, so stay tuned for all the highlights.
Here are all of the Patriots vs. Steelers highlights (updates will come as the game continues).
Brady was under pressure early from the Steelers pass rush:
However, on the Patriots’ second drive he started to find Rob Gronkowski:
And again he found Gronk…
Gronk back to making defenders look slightly helpless:
And again, this time taking the Patriots to the one-yard-line:
However, after Brandon Bolden was stopped here on 3rd down, Ridley was stopped on 4th on goal:
Yet even though the offense was held at the goal line, the Patriots defense stepped up and Devin McCourty got an interception on the very next play, with the Steelers trapped in their own end zone:
And on the very next play, Brady zipped it down the seam to Danny Amendola for a touchdown, to give New England a 7-0 lead:
And, from another angle, the Amendola touchdown again:
The Patriots defense, after giving up a first down after having a 3rd and 30, stopped the Steelers on a 4th and 1:
Gronk’s touchdown made it 14-0 Patriots:
Danny Amendola got deep downfield on a blown coverage from the Steelers. This helped to make the score 17-3 Patriots.
Antonio Brown helped to get Pittsburgh back in the game, making it 17-10 with under two minutes to go in the first half:
Stevan Ridley capped off another impressive New England drive with seconds remaining in the first half to make it 24-10 at the half:
Some Gronk highlights from the first half, where the talented All-Pro had 7 catches for a 119 yards and touchdown:
Jerricho Cotchery’s touchdown made it 24-17 in the third quarter:
And Jerricho Cotchery ties it up 24-24 in the third quarter with his second touchdown of the game:
After Stephen Gostkowski’s field goal made it 27-24 Patriots, the Steelers were unable to mount a response, including this drop:
Aaron Dobson made a nice back-shoulder catch to score and give the Patriots a 34-24 lead with 13:46 to go in the 4th quarter:
Dane Fletcher made his presence felt by recording the rare drag-down sack on Big Ben:
Ridley powers it in, and the Patriots lead 41-24 in the fourth quarter:
Jerricho Cotchery continued to exploit being the third receiver (and the favorable mismatches he drew), making his third touchdown catch of the game, cutting it to 41-31 Patriots:
Aaron Dobson and the Patriots answered immediately, as Brady and the rookie wideout connected on an 81-yard score to make it 48-31 with 5:25 to go:
LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown added icing on the cake for the Patriots, making it 55-31:
Brady celebrates by making sure he connects on his high-fives this week as the Patriots win it by a 55-31 final over the Steelers:
GIF via Tom Brady’s Ego
