The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an up-and-down season to say the least, most recently being down coming in to another showdown with their AFC rivals, the New England Patriots, on Sunday. They found a way to snap that skid on their home field, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 17-10 win over the Patriots. The Steelers were playing without running back James Conner for a second straight week, so they leaned on rookie tailback Jaylen Samuels, who followed through in a major way. Samuels ran for a career-high 142 yards on 19 carries, while also coming through with a clutch third-down reception in the fourth quarter that set up a Chris Boswell 48-yard field goal.
To the surprise of nobody, this game came down to the wire, with the Patriots driving in the final seconds, needing a touchdown to tie and force overtime. Despite driving deep in to Steelers territory, Brady's pass intended for Julian Edelman was broken up on fourth down in the end zone, giving the first-place Steelers their eighth win of the season. They maintained a one-game lead on the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers behind Lamar Jackson on Sunday.
The loss for the Patriots stopped them from clinching the AFC East, as they still hold a two-game lead on the Miami Dolphins, who beat them with a miracle play last week. They trailed by four until Boswell's field goal in the fourth quarter, which helped him avenge a 32-yard miss earlier in the game. He has struggled so much so that the Steelers held open tryouts for the kicker position earlier in the week.
The Pats suffered their second straight road loss, sending them to 3-5 away from Gillette Stadium this season. Tom Brady threw for 279 yards but had just one touchdown with one interception. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger was also shut down compared to what we're use to, as he had 235 yards through the air with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Steelers' offense will hope to get Conner back next week, as the star running back has been dealing with a sprained ankle.
The Steelers' schedule does not ease up in any way, as they will hit the road to battle the New Orleans Saints, while the Patriots will return home to host the lowly Buffalo Bills.
To the surprise of nobody, this game came down to the wire, with the Patriots driving in the final seconds, needing a touchdown to tie and force overtime. Despite driving deep in to Steelers territory, Brady's pass intended for Julian Edelman was broken up on fourth down in the end zone, giving the first-place Steelers their eighth win of the season. They maintained a one-game lead on the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers behind Lamar Jackson on Sunday.
The loss for the Patriots stopped them from clinching the AFC East, as they still hold a two-game lead on the Miami Dolphins, who beat them with a miracle play last week. They trailed by four until Boswell's field goal in the fourth quarter, which helped him avenge a 32-yard miss earlier in the game. He has struggled so much so that the Steelers held open tryouts for the kicker position earlier in the week.
The Pats suffered their second straight road loss, sending them to 3-5 away from Gillette Stadium this season. Tom Brady threw for 279 yards but had just one touchdown with one interception. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger was also shut down compared to what we're use to, as he had 235 yards through the air with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Steelers' offense will hope to get Conner back next week, as the star running back has been dealing with a sprained ankle.
The Steelers' schedule does not ease up in any way, as they will hit the road to battle the New Orleans Saints, while the Patriots will return home to host the lowly Buffalo Bills.