Getty Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots
Well, that was something new, wasn’t it?
The New England Patriots went to Pittsburgh on Thursday night and, in front of a national audience, put forth a respectable effort on both—yes, both!—sides of the ball, coming away with a gritty 21-18 Week 14 win that put a crimp in the Steelers’ playoff plans.
And while quarterback Bailey Zappe and the defense deserve a tip of the cap, it was Ezekiel Elliott who stole the show.
Elliott had 22 carries for 68 yards on the ground, more a workmanlike performance than a star turn. But he was a nightmare to contain in the flat for the Steelers, with Elliott racking up 72 yards receiving on 7 catches and scoring the Patriots’ opening touchdown as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.
Overripe by NFL running back standards at age 28, Elliott was let go in March 2023 by the Cowboys and signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Patriots this summer.
After more than 2,100 career touches, he was considered by many to be “washed” up in Dallas, remember. Just ask Colin Cowherd.
But on the field with NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo after the game, he had a message for the NFL: “I feel good, man. I feel really good. I am glad I’m able to show you guys I still got it.”
For @NFLGameDay Final with #Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott on the tail end of 39 carries over five days and a really big tackle that saved a TD and helped secure a much-needed win over the #Steelers: “I’m glad I’m able to show you guys I’ve still got it.”
Elliott’s 29-touch performance in Pittsburgh also came on the heels of 21 touches against the Chargers, just four days earlier in Week 13.
Ezekiel Elliott Tackle Saves TD
It was nothing that Elliott did in the passing or running game that truly gave us the highlight of Week 14 for the Patriots.
No, his best moment probably came as a defender. That’s because, on a 1st-and-10 from their own 43, Zappe dropped back to pass and was picked off after it bounced out of a collision between the Steelers’ Elandon Roberts and Patriots receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Pittsburgh defensive back Mykal Walker grabbed the ball and began hustling toward the end zone, with a path to a touchdown ahead of him. Except for one thing: Ezekiel Elliott picked his angle and began bursting toward the sideline. He brought Walker down at the Patriots’ 16-yard line.
A running play, 2 incompletes and an ill-advised short pass by Mitch Trubisky later, and the Patriots did not allow a point off the pick.
“Zeke made a big play on the interception, keep them out of the end zone. Ended up getting a defensive stop on it. That was a huge play,” coach Bill Belichick said in his postgame press conference.
Said Elliott: “Just gotta go get that guy, gotta go make that tackle. I know what kind of defense we have. Those guys are tough, man. I knew they were gonna do a good job at least holding them to 3, and they end up turning them over on downs. So, I mean, kudos to the defense, man, I appreciate those guys.”
.@EzekielElliott with great awareness on this play with a tackle that probably saved the Patriots from giving up a TD on the INT.
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Patriots D Finally Gets Help
Certainly, they appreciate Elliott. It has been a rough go for the New England defense, which has been among the best in the league all season and has been especially good in the last three games for the Patriots.
They went into the Steelers game having allowed just 26 total points in the last three weeks.
All they got in return was 13 points from the offense. On Thursday, though, the Patriots topped the 20-point mark for just the third time this season.
“We needed this a lot,” Elliott said on the field. “It’s been a minute since we had a win, it’s been a minute since we knew how this felt. It’s great for these guys to come out here and get this win.”
And it is especially good for Elliott. As former quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III pointed out early in the season, “Everybody at this network and around the world was talking about Zeke being washed.”
“It felt like two or three years, everyone … was talking about Zeke being washed. But the bottom line is, the Dallas Cowboys miss Zeke right now.”
Maybe he isn’t. Maybe he does, indeed, still got it.