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Game Rewind: It was billed as the game of the year and it lived up to the hype as the Patriots beat the Steelers 27-24 in a thriller. Here are five thoughts on what was a big win for the Patriots.
1.Gronk Was a Monster: Rob Gronkowski caught 9 passes for 168 yards in the Patriots come from behind win. Gronkowski literally willed the Patriots to victory in the second half. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did a great job of moving him around in formations and generating the match-ups he wanted. Pittsburgh had no answer for him in man or zone. Gronk truly was a monster in this game.
2. Lewis Leads the Way on the Ground: When the Patriots lost Rex Burkhead in the third quarter with a knee injury, it appeared that their running game left the field with him. Enter Dion Lewis, who once again proved he is the alpha male in the Patriots back field. Lewis rushed for 67 yards on 13 carries but picked up most of those yards in the fourth quarter on the final drive, including the game winning touchdown. The diminutive runner once again proved that he plays bigger than his size and he plays a big role in the Patriots offense.
3. The G.O.A.T Goes to Work: Tom Brady struggled through three quarters against the Steelers but when the Patriots needed their leader to be great in the forth quarter, Brady stepped stepped it up as usual and spearheaded his 53rd career come from behind win. It was vintage Brady as he completed 3 of 4 passes to Rob Gronkowski on the drive. Brady hasn’t been great of late but he sure looked the G.O.A.T on the final drive.
4. Defense Struggles Again: The Patriots did not play well defensively. For the second week in a row, bad tackling and an inability to get off the field on third down led to the Patriots struggling defensively. The poor play of the defense was especially evident on Ju-Ju Smith Schuster’s 69 yard run at the end of the game that almost won it for Pittsburgh. The Patriots secondary took terrible angles.
5. Patriots Win Round One: The Patriots won round one but something tells me that these two teams are going to meet again down the road.