NEW: Patriots Win Third Straight, Beat Pittsburgh 27-16
Sunday, October 23, 2016
The New England Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-16 on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh.
“It’s good to come in and get a win here, they have a great team, they always have. Just good to get a win,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after the game.
The win moves the Patriots to 6-1 on the season, while the Steelers drop to 4-3.
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The Steelers cut the Patriots lead to one point,14-13, after a Chris Boswell field goal was good with 8:44 to go in the third quarter.
The Patriots would build their lead back up on their next offensive possession when Brady would connect with tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 36 yard pass to give the New England a 20-13 lead after kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point.
"It was just good execution, I thought we ran the ball great on that drive, really got a hat on a hat and gave LeGarrette some space to run. He is so deceptive with his quickness, he’s a big back but he has great agility. Then we had that third down to Gronk, he just ran through the middle of the defense, it looked like they lost track of him a little bit," said Brady after the game.
For Gronkowski, that was his 68th touchdown reception which ties him with Stanley Morgan for the most touchdown receptions all-time.
The Steelers would add a field goal early in the the fourth quarter to cut the Patriots lead to just four points, 20-16, with 14:44 to play in the game.
On their next offensive drive, the Patriots would seal the game on a six play, 75 yard drive ending in a LeGarrette Blount five yard touchdown run. Gostkowski would convert the extra point to give the Patriots a 27-16 lead.
The touchdown would be Blount’s second of the game, and would seal the win.
Patriots in Control Early
After a Chris Hogan fumble on the Patriots first offensive play of the game, corner back Malcolm Butler picked off Jones in the end zone to give the Patriots the ball back.
On the ensuing possession, Brady led the offense on a 13 play, 80 yard drive that was capped off by a 19 yard touchdown pass from Brady to running back James White. New England went up 7-0 after a Gostkowski extra point was good.
The touchdown was White’s third in two games.
The Patriots would add to their lead early in the second quarter when Blount capped off an 11 play, 84 yard drive with a three yard touchdown run, giving the Patriots a 14-0 lead after a Gostkowski extra point sailed through the uprights.
Steelers Rally
Trailing 14-0, Pittsburgh would rally on their very next possession.
Sparked by a 51 yard pass down the sideline to Antonio Brown, Jones then found receiver Darius Hayward-Bey in the corner of the end zone for a 14 yard touchdown pass to get the Steelers on the board, now trailing 14-7 after a Boswell extra point was good.
Boswell would add a 32 yard field goal with two seconds left in the half to cut the Patriots lead to 14-10 heading into the locker room.
Gostkowski Misses Again
For the second straight week, Gostkowski missed an extra point.
Gostkowski has now missed three field goals and two extra points so far this season and a total of seven kicks going back to the playoffs last season.
It's obv Gostkowski isn't himself, but overreacting on 1 of best Ks in NFL over happenings of a few wks would be foolish. Gotta ride it out
— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) October 23, 2016
His extra point miss against the Steelers would have given the Patriots an eight point lead, 21-13, instead of just a seven point lead, 20-13.
The Stats
Brady finished the game completing 19 of 26 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, while Blount had 24 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Gronkowski caught four passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills are Next up
The Patriots travel to Buffalo to take on the rival Bills on Sunday, October 30.
The Bills lost to the Dolphins 28-25 on Sunday in Miami, snapping their four game winning streak.
The Patriots have a two game lead over Buffalo in the AFC East.
Kick off for Sunday’s game is set for 1 p.m.
Related Slideshow: The New England Patriots - Greatest Team Ever
The New England Patriots have won their fourth Super Bowl in the Brady/Belichick Era by defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28 - 24 in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona. With that win, the Patriots have now put themselves in the conversation as being the greatest team ever in NFL history.
Here are ten reasons why they are in fact the greatest team.
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