The Steelers are missing several key players with injuries this Sunday and it looked for a while like they might not be able to keep pace with the Patriots.
After fumbling the ball away on their first offensive play of the game, the Patriots went on back-to-back touchdown drives to take a 14-0 lead with 11 minutes to play in the second quarter. The Steelers had punted twice and turned the ball over on a Landry Jones interception in the end zone at that point, but the rest of the quarter was more to Pittsburgh’s liking.
Jones hit Antonio Brown for 51 yards to set up a 14-yard touchdown pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey that got the Steelers on the board in the second quarter. Jones then led two more good drives over the rest of the half, but Chris Boswell could only make one of his two field goal attempts and that leaves the score 14-10 in the Patriots’ favor after the first half.
Jones was 14-of-20 for 179 yards and Le’Veon Bell has 83 yards from scrimmage as the Steelers have found their footing both on the ground and through the air as the game has unfolded. Tom Brady was 13-of-18 for 128 yards and a score and had a third-down conversion pass dropped by running back James White after the Steelers’ touchdown. He’s also run three times for 11 yards, although LeGarrette Blount’s 53 yards on the ground figure to keep him as the focal point of that part of the attack.