The Patriots came out of the gate firing and putting points on the scoreboard, building an early lead that they were able to hang on to through the second half, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18.

1. 7 Keys from Patriots win over
SteelersHere's an instant breakdown of
the Patriots win over the Steelers in
Pittsburgh.
The Patriots came out of the gate firing and putting points on the scoreboard,
building an early lead that they were able to hang on to through the second
half, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18.
The win breaks New England's five-game losing streak and gives Bailey
Zappe his first win as a starting quarterback this season. Zappe was
outstanding early, throwing for three first-half touchdowns as he brought the
passing offense to life with some well-delivered strikes, though it was more
of a struggle to move the ball in the second half, when an interception and
blocked punt made things interesting down to the game's final minutes.
It was another strong performance by the Patriots defense, which frustrated
the Steelers offense for most of the game. However, second-half miscues by
the offense and special teams put them in some difficult spots. They made
one fourth-down stop off the first turnover but allowed a touchdown off the
blocked punt. But, in the end, the defense made the final stops necessary to
hang on.
Here are the key takeaways from the victory!
Pylon-dive TD! Ezekiel Elliott's opening-drive score is picturesque
1. First Drive Score
The Patriots came out firing in this game, with Bailey Zappe connecting with
Juju Smith-Schuster for a 37-yard gain that helped spark one of the team's
best opening drives in recent memory. Zappe contributed an 11-yard
scramble on the only third down that the Pats faced on their first drive, with
Ezekiel Elliott finishing things off on an 11-yard reception as he leaked out of
the backfield and got the corner for the score.
It was an unfamiliar and unexpected start to the game for the 2023 Patriots as
they instantly established a 7-0 lead over the Steelers.
The Pats nearly had a chance to build on their lead with a J.C. Jackson
interception, but Jackson was flagged for pass interference before the pick

2. and that negated the takeaway and kept Pittsburgh's offense on the field.
Three plays later the Patriots defense got a third-down sack from Mack
Wilson to force a long field goal attempt. Chris Boswell connected from 56
yards out to make it 7-3, as there were a surprising amount of points on the
board after each team's first possessions.
RELATED LINKS
 Game Observations: Eight Takeaways From the Patriots Big Win Over the Steelers in Week 14
 Game Notes: Coach Bill Belichick moves past George Halas for sole possession of second with 507 games
coached
 Patriots at Steelers Highlights | NFL Week 14
 Bailey Zappe's best plays from win over the Steelers
 Pylon-dive TD! Ezekiel Elliott's opening-drive score is picturesque
 Can't-Miss Play: Henry's SECOND TD of 'TNF' comes via Zappe's perfectly-weighted dime
 Next Gen Stats: Jonathan Jones breaks up fourth-down sideline pass
Jabrill Peppers steps up for big INT off Trubisky
2. Peppers Picks, Henry Scores
After trading three total punts through the end of the first quarter, the Patriots
got back their interception with Jabrill Peppers coming up with the pick off
Trubisky and returning it deep into Pittsburgh territory. Peppers again
showed why he's been one of the team's bright spots this season as he
continues to make big plays for the defense while bringing great intense
energy. It was Peppers' second interception of the season, with his first
coming against Buffalo in the team's last win back in Week 7. The safety did
a good job disguising his coverage on the play, as he bailed into the deep part
of the field while Myles Bryant applied pressure on a blitz that helped force
Trubisky into the mistake.
Just two plays later Zappe would hit tight end Hunter Henry in the back of
the end zone with an impressive lofted throw. And just like that the Patriots
had 14 points with Zappe throwing his second touchdown of the game,
already more points than they had scored in the previous three games.
3. The Juju and Hunter Formula Keeps
Working
With the Patriots defense playing lights out in the first half, containing the
Steelers to just three first downs through their first five possessions, Zappe

3. went back to what was working in this game on the Pats sixth drive, first
hitting Juju Smith-Schuster for his third big play of the game, this one going
for 28 yards. Then, on the next play, Zappe laid out a pass for the end zone,
lofting it out to Hunter Henry, who made an excellent catch for his second
touchdown of the game.
It was jarring how the Patriots were piling up the big plays after failing to
even get past the 30-yard line last week against the Chargers. New England
built a 21-3 as the boos rained down from the Steeler faithful who were
unhappy with Pittsburgh's lack of energy and the slow start that resulted from
it.
Smith-Schuster particularly had a strong start to the game, posting big gains
of 37, 17 and 28 yards to give him a season-high 82 yards in the first half
alone. Zappe finished the first half 14-of-21 for 196 yards and three
touchdowns.
4. Steelers Strike Back
Down 21-3, the Steelers needed to respond before the game got away from
them and did so with a big play of their own as Trubisky targeted Diontae
Johnson downfield, connecting for a 25-yard touchdown with J.C. Jackson in
coverage. It was an eight-play, 70-yard drive by the Steelers that they
desperately needed, and it only required one short third-down conversion.
Big plays have been an issue of late for the 29th-ranked Patriots passing
defense in EPA and it showed up here in the first half as the Steelers made
things interesting with a scoring strike from just outside the red zone.
The Patriots took a 21-10 lead to the locker room on the heels of arguably
their best half of football of the 2023 season.
6. Zappe Gets Picked, Defense Steps Up
The teams continued to trade punts into the third quarter until Zappe
attempted to hit Smith-Schuster on a crossing route but former Patriot
linebacker Elandon Roberts made a good play to get a hand in to break up the
pass. The ball deflected into the waiting hands of Steelers cornerback Mychal
Walker and Walker returned the interception to New England's 16-yard line.
It was an unfortunate reminder of the mistakes that have cost the Patriots this
season and after going turnover-free against the Chargers last week, Zappe's
turnover gave the Steelers new life.

4. Off the quick change, the Patriots defense made it tough on the Steelers
despite them taking over so deep inside Patriots territory. After a third-down
stop, Pittsburgh elected to go for it from the New England eight-yard line on
4th-and-2 and the Pats defense stepped up and delivered a stop with Mack
Wilson making the key tackle short of the sticks. It was yet another example
this season of the defense supporting the offense after a mistake. The special
teams on the other hand...
6. Special Teams Letdown
New England's offense couldn't do anything after the defensive goal-line
stand, going three-and-out and looking to punt the ball back to Pittsburgh.
But the punt was blocked and the Steelers took back over once again deep
inside Patriots territory at the 26-yard line. A pass interference penalty in the
end zone by J.C. Jackson, his second of the game, set up the Steelers first
touchdown of the game as they didn't waste their second opportunity in two
possessions inside the red zone. A successful two-point conversion then
closed the score to 21-18 as Pittsburgh scored 15 straight points to make
things interesting late in the fourth quarter.
Just as the Patriots looked to be in control of the game, mistakes by the
offense and special teams helped get the Steelers back in the game. The
Patriots special teams have had consistent issues throughout the season and
this blocked punt was as impactful as any of them.
However, the Patriots defense continued to make the plays necessary for the
win as the offense stumbled down the stretch, unable to pick up any first
downs in crunch time that would have helped end the game on the Patriots
terms. Needing to rely on the defense once again this season, the defense
delivered a needed win.
7. Patriots are 3-10
With the win, the Patriots break a five-game losing streak and notch their
third victory of the 2023 season, improving their record to 3-10. Powered by
some big plays and a surprising emergence of Juju Smith-Schuster, the
Patriots were suddenly throwing the ball all over the field. And not only that,
but they were producing points on the scoreboard, a feat that has consistently
eluded them for most of the 2023 season.
Hunter Henry, playing on his birthday, also turned in a strong performance,
breaking a three-game scoring drought. But most notable was the play of the

5. quarterback, as Zappe was ready to throw early and often, quickly helping
New England build a double-digit lead. Combined with another strong
performance by the defense that helped out by setting up the team's second
score with an interception, the Patriots gave a small glimpse of the kind of
complementary football play that has won a lot of games for them in recent
years when their offense wasn't as dominating as it was in the last decade.
The second half wasn't much to trumpet for the Patriots on offense or special
teams, they recorded just three first downs and made two big mistakes that
could've cost them had the defense not stepped up once again. Given how
2023 has gone, maybe that's how it was supposed to be.
New England remains in the second spot in the draft and gets a rewarding
win that offers a reprieve from the season-long struggles that have haunted
them. Next up the Patriots get an extended mini-break over the weekend
before returning to Gillette Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs next
Sunday at 1 pm.