The New England Patriots had plenty of things to feel good about after their 33-3 rout against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At first glance, it’s easy to look at the score and give the credit to Tom Brady and his offense for lighting it up. But, the defense was just as important throughout the game. New England’s defense held one of the most explosive offensive teams to three points on Sunday night — and that’s the same defense that held the Los Angeles Rams to three points in the Super Bowl.
This defense is legit, and they were without one of their best linebackers in Kyle Van Noy — who missed the game to be there for his wife while she was in labor. They held the highly-touted James Conner to 21 rushing yards on ten carries, while smothering Juju Smith-Schuster and only allowing him to have 78 yards with six receptions.
The Patriots’ offense and defense are so good at this point, that they just made each other better during training camp and the offseason. Brady is the first to attest to this, and he expressed his excitement for the defensive unit on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Monday morning.
Ben Roethlisberger was uncomfortable in the pocket the entire night and it led to a night that he threw 27-of-47 for 276 yards and an interception — with a measly quarterback rating of 65.2. He had a simple explanation for their dominance.
Stephon Gilmore still looked like the best cornerback in the league, while Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins brought the clock back to 2014. The defensive line was stout and only allowed a total of 32 rushing yards on 13 carries.
The Steelers ended the game with a conversion rate of 3-of-12 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. And the scariest part is — the Patriots still felt as if they had a lot of things to work on. Duron Harmon spoke for everyone in the locker room when he told reporters after the game that they still want some things back.
“It’s a step,” Harmon said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to go back and we’re going to look at the film. There’s some things that we’re going to feel like we did better and some plays that we’re going to want back. But any time you can start the way we started this week, it’s a good thing. It’s a good stepping stone.”
It’s surely a step in the right direction, and the Patriots will face division foes that they’re familiar with in the next three weeks.
