Rob Gronkowski celebrates after scoring his third touchdown of the night during the Patriots’ win over the Steelers. (Getty)
Final Score
Steelers 0-3-8-10 — 21
Patriots 0-14-7-7 — 28
Tom Brady struggled to find a rhythm during the preseason, but he also didn’t have Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski. With his suspension behind him and his favorite weapons back in the lineup, Brady threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Patriots to a 28-21 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.
Gronkowski had 94 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant performance, Edelman pulled in 11 receptions for 97 yards and shifty running back Dion Lewis piled up 120 total yards.
For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger had 351 yards and two touchdowns, Antonio Brown had nine receptions for 133 yards and a score, but inefficiency in the red zone and in the kicking game haunted Pittsburgh.
Read on for the complete highlights.
The Steelers’ Promising Opening Drive Ended With a Missed FG
Coming out with a nice mix of run and pass, the Steelers quickly moved the ball past midfield. DeAngelo Williams, filling in for Le’Veon Bell, had three carries for 33 yards, and tight end Heath Miller had two catches for 22 yards.
But when the Steelers attempted a trick play and New England sniffed it out, the drive quickly stalled:
TRICK PLAY ALERT! Antonio Brown looks to throw the ball and … not good. #Kickoff2015 #PITvsNE http://t.co/KinBbSoKvK
Josh Scobee had a 44-yard field goal attempt, but it sailed well right much to the delight of the home crowd.
Antonio Brown Caught a Ball Off Malcolm Butler’s Head
Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler found out what it’s like to go up against the most productive wide receiver in the NFL.
Rob Gronkowski Made it Look Easy for 1st Touchdown of the Game
After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots struck first with a methodical 90-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock.
Early in the drive, it was a heavy dose of Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis. But once the Pats got into Pittsburgh territory, Tom Brady turned his attention to Rob Gronkowski. After a 19-yard connection, Brady went right back to his monstrous tight end, who walked through a couple of would-be tackler for the 16-yard touchdown.
Get used to seeing that this season.
Gronkowski Scored Again. Easily
Again, the Pats moved the ball fairly easily, going 64 yards on nine plays. And again, Brady spread the ball around to Edelman and his tertiary options before looking to Gronk in the end zone.
And again, Gronk proved to be uncoverable, putting the Patriots ahead 14-0 before halftime.
Gronk has 63 TDs in 73 NFL games. Insane. He’s the ultimate touchdown maker.
He’s on pace for 64 touchdowns this season. That may be a little bit out of reach, but his career-high of 17 may a number worth paying attention to.
Scobee Made His 1st Field Goal in 3 Tries
The Steelers haven’t had much trouble moving the ball. At halftime, Williams has 54 yards on 10 carries, Roethlisberger is 12-of-17 for 166 yards and Brown has five catches for 64 yards, continuing his unbelievable streak of consistency:
Antonio Brown now has at least 5 catches for 50 yards in 33 straight games. Next closest WR is Odell Beckham Jr. with 9.
All-in-all, the Steelers finished the half with 212 total yards (to New England’s 202), but they were limited to just three points, as Darrius Heyward-Bey stepped out of bounds on a would-have-been-touchdown catch, and Scobee went 1-of-3 on his field-goal attempts.
Scott Chandler Got Into the Scoring Act Early in the 3rd
The Patriots are moving the ball with ease. This drive, the first of the second half, went 80 yards on nine plays. Edelman continued to eat up Pittsburgh’s overmatched secondary (two catches and a pass interference drawn on the drive), while Lewis ripped off a couple of big runs.
Brady went to a different tight end–Scott Chandler–this time around, but the end result was the same. One-yard touchdown, and a 21-3 lead.
Will Johnson Scored 1st TD for Steelers
Responding to the Patriots’ scoring drive, the Steelers immediately went 80 yards on seven plays. Williams and Brown carved out most of the yards on the drive before fullback Will Johnson pounded it in from the one.
With not much trust in Scobee, the Steelers opted to go for two and converted when Roethlisberger found Markus Wheaton in the middle of the end zone.
Gronk Kept Doing Gronk Things in the 4th Quarter
First, he somehow got open in the middle of the field for a 52-yard gain. Later, he recovered a Dion Lewis fumble at the one-yard line. Finally, he easily beat Terence Garvin on the fade for his third touchdown of the game.
As Rich Eisen noted, the major difference between these two teams has been the play-calling in the end zone:
Steelers 3rd and goal: hurry with play clock winding to run with DeAngelo
Pats: calmly flip it up to Gronk
Big difference.
Roethlisberger Threw a Late Interception to Seal the Loss
Needing a quick score with about seven minutes left, Roethlisberger forced a deep ball into double coverage, and it was easily intercepted by Duron Harmon. New England turned around and took nearly four minutes off the clock, which was enough to secure the victory.
Roethlisberger connected with Brown for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the lead to one touchdown, but there was only two seconds remaining, so it only mattered for fantasy and betting purposes. The latter, in particular, as the Pats were favored by seven points:
Garbage touchdown. #Patriots cover turns into a back door push
