Patriots outlast Steelers, earn first win of 2022 season

BOSTON -- The New England Patriots earned their first victory of the 2022 season, outlasting the Steelers 17-14 in Pittsburgh.

Things got awfully tight in the end, with Pittsburgh closing an 11-point deficit to just three points just seconds into the fourth quarter. But the Patriots' defense forced a critical three-and-out, and the New England ground game drained the clock with an impressive drive to end the game.

"Great team win. It wasn't just one phase of the game," quarterback Mac Jones said after the victory. "The offensive line played amazing."

Jones completed 21 of his 35 passes for 252 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He was not sacked by the Steelers and looked in command at the line of scrimmage.

Nelson Agholor caught that touchdown from Jones, and he led all Patriots receivers with 110 yards. Jakobi Meyers led the team in receptions (9), with 95 receiving yards. Damien Harris ran for a touchdown, and he had 71 yards on 15 carries, including the first-down run that allowed the Patriots to go into kneeldown mode in the final minutes.

Mitchell Trubisky completed 21 of his 33 passes for 168 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Steelers.

The Patriots got their first lead of the season after marching 71 yards on their opening drive. That drive began with Myles Bryant muffing a punt into the end zone, a miscue which didn't hurt the Patriots but could have been a real problem if not for Bryant recovering the loose ball in the end zone. Nick Folk capped the drive with a 28-yard field goal, his first of the season.

The Patriots had a chance to add to that lead shortly thereafter, as Jalen Mills recorded his first interception as a Patriot on the next Pittsburgh possession.

But Jones gave the ball right back to the Steelers, throwing a pick on a third-down deep ball intended for DeVante Parker. Minkah Fitzpatrick read the throw easily and made a play on the ball to steal back possession.

Pittsburgh tied the game on the ensuing drive, after Jahlani Tavai came up with a third-down sack in the red zone to force Pittsburgh into a field goal attempt.  The Steelers had converted four third downs -- including a third-and-17 -- on that drive.

After the teams exchanged punts, the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the day, driving 74 yards on eight plays. On a third-and-4 at the Steelers' 44-yard line, Jones chucked up a jump ball for Nelson Agholor along the right sideline. Despite Akhello Witherspoon being in perfect coverage, Agholor was able to go up and get the ball, coming down with the pass and continuing on into the end zone.

The Patriots tried to add to their 10-3 lead on the opening drive of the second half, but Folk's 52-yard field goal attempt drifted right.

The Steelers then drove 25 yards before kicking a field goal to cut New England's lead to 10-6. The Patriots punted it back to the Steelers, but former Patriot special teams ace Gunner Olszewski allowed the punt to hit him right in the facemask. New Patriots special teams ace Brenden Schooler -- an undrafted rookie -- recovered the muffed punt to retain possession for New England.

Connor Heyward compounded that bad news for the Steelers by committing an unnecessary roughness penalty, setting the Patriots up at the 10-yard line. On third-and-goal, Damien Harris plunged up the gut for a 2-yard touchdown to make it a 17-6 lead for New England.

The double-digit lead was short-lived, though, as the Steelers went 75 plays on nine plays to get into the end zone for the first time of the game.

The Steelers successfully converted the two-point conversion on a nice connection between Trubisky and Diontae Johnson, making it a 17-14 New England lead. That score held through the rest of the final quarter.

"Good team win for us," Bill Belichick said after the game. "I'm proud of how the guys competed."    

The Patriots now head home with a 1-1 record, set to host the Baltimore Ravens next week at Gillette Stadium.

In:
• Featured