Ups and Downs: Patriots make the plays when they needed to in Week 2 win over Steelers
FOXBORO -- Baby steps for the New England Patriots. Sunday's game wasn't the prettiest example of professional football, but all that really matters is that the Patriots were able to outlast the Steelers and pick up their first win of the 2022 season.
New England made more plays than Pittsburgh and earned a 17-14 win in Week 2 to get to .500 on the young season. The Patriots made their share of mistakes, but made fewer costly mistakes than the Steelers.
There was progress on offense. There was progress on defense. And special teams contributed to the win, as the Patriots gave Bill Belichick one of those patented three-phase performances on Sunday.
"Some good football when we needed it the most," Belichick said of the win.
With that, let's go to the Ups and Downs from Sunday's win.
Ups
Whoa Nelly!
We'll start with the biggest and most exciting play of the game: Nelson Agholor's 44-yard touchdown just before halftime. The receiver made an incredible play to win the jump ball against Steelers corner Ahkello Witherspoon at the Pittsburgh 8-yard line, and leapt into the end zone for New England's first touchdown of the game.
It was a really pretty catch -- and this angle makes it look even better.
Agholor had himself a day, finishing with six receptions for a team-high 110 yards. He's the first New England receiver to have a 100-yard day since Jakobi Meyers did it in Week 15 of the 2020 season.
Jakobi Meyers
Speaking of Meyers, he was awesome again, catching nine of the 13 passes that Mac Jones sent his way for 95 yards. Four of those receptions moved the chains for New England, including three times on third down.
Run game had it going
The Patriots racked up 124 rush yards on 31 carries. Damien Harris led the way with a touchdown and 71 yards on his 15 carries -- good for 4.7 yards per carry. He had 28 yards on New England's final possession, which helped the team burn the final 6:33 off the clock and walk off the field victorious. Harris followed a great block by Trent Brown on a third-and-3 with 1:51 left, barging up the middle for five yards to seal the win.
Rhamondre Stevenson was also solid on the ground, rushing for 47 yards on his nine carries, averaging a robust 5.2 yards per attempt.
Even Mac made a difference with his legs, scrambling/sliding for five yards on a huge third-and-2. That was the difference between the Patriots keeping the drive going and punting it back to Pittsburgh with four minutes left in a three-point game. Big play.
Solid work by New England's running backs -- and the offensive line -- helped the Patriots control the clock for most of the game and pick up their first win of the year.
Schooler in the right place at the right time
It was nice of Gunner Olszewski to give his former team a nice gift when he muffed a punt off his facemask. But props to special teamer Brenden Schooler, who was right there to pounce on the ball at the Pittsburgh 10-yard line.
And props to the offense for finishing the drive in the end zone.
Big day for the D
The Patriots' defense was pretty solid throughout the game. They had just one bad series -- a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive by Pittsburgh -- but forced three three-and-outs on the afternoon. Two of those three-and-outs came on Pittsburgh's last two possessions.
Solid job by the defense, with Matthew Judon (who had a sack and a huge pass breakup on a third-and-2 attempt by Najee Harris), Mack Wilson (three tackles, a pass deflection that led to Jalen Mills' interception), and Jabrill Peppers (big open-field tackles on back-to-back plays in the third quarter) doing some serious work on Sunday.
Offensive line kept Mac clean
No post-game X-rays needed for Mac Jones after this one. The Patriots offensive line didn't give up a single sack on Sunday, and Mac Jones was hit just three times by a Steelers D that had seven sacks in Week 1.
Pittsburgh wasn't at full strength without T.J. Watt, but it was still an impressive showing from the New England offensive line from a pass-blocking standpoint.
Downs
Fourth quarter three-and-out
After the defense forced a three-and-out early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots' offense got the ball at midfield with a chance to ice the game. They went three-and-out instead.
Facing a third-and-2, Jones went looking for a double-covered Jonnu Smith. It was not his best option on the play, since Meyers was wide open in the flat.
The tight end couldn't come up with the catch, and the Patriots were forced to punt it away with just over eight minutes left. Luckily, the defense forced a second straight three-and-out on Pittsburgh's ensuing possession.
Myles Bryant's dangerous PR
Bryant made a really curious decision when he decided to field Pittsburgh's first punt of the day instead of just letting the ball bounce into the end zone. Bryant muffed it, and it could have been a real disaster for the Patriots had he not pounced on the ball in the end zone.
Rookie Marcus Jones was inactive this week, but we may see him returning punts next weekend against the Ravens.
Mac's INT
Mac was pretty solid, completing 21 of his 35 passes for 252 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Not that there is ever a good time for an interception, but Mac's pick on Sunday came right after the defense had given him the ball by way of a pick.
Jones went deep for DeVante Parker, which has not led to good results for the Patriots so far. Minkah Fitzpatrick masterfully read the play and picked Jones' pass out of the air to get the ball back to Pittsburgh.
Mac probably should have had two picks on the day, but Cameron Sutton dropped a gift-wrapped interception for the Steelers on a terrible low throw by Jones in the third quarter.
Empty drive to start second half
The Patriots got the ball first in the second half and were looking good as they marched to the Pittsburgh 36. But an Isaiah Wynn false start threw things out of whack, setting up a second-and-12. The Patriots ended up settling for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Nick Folk, which the veteran shockingly missed wide right.
Penalties
There were way too many of them, and most of the laundry was because the offensive line was a little too jumpy. The Pats were flagged seven times for 55 yards, and four of those were on the offensive line. Isaiah Wynn was hit with a hold and a false start, Michael Onwenu was hit with a false start, and David Andrews had a hold that took a 10-yard Kendrick Bourne reception off the board.
The Patriots are going to have to clean that up.
