The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday in another classic AFC showdown held in Pittsburgh. With the game on the line and over two minutes on the clock, Brady and the Pats were unable to tie the game and possibly force overtime.
With the Steelers being short-handed without running backs Le’veon Bell and James Conner, you might assume that their running game would suffer. However, this was not the case at all. Rookie running back Jaylen Samuels had one of the best rushing performances of the year by a Steeler tailback.
He ran for 142-yards on 19 carries. This was not good news for Patriots fans considering we may be seeing this team again in the playoffs.
As for the late season struggles from the Pats, it seems their top players aren’t being utilized once again. James White only touched the ball seven times this week, still not nearly enough considering the damage he can do to opposing defenses. Gronk was only able to take in two catches and Josh Gordon only had one.
Looking forward to next week, the Patriots are onto Buffalo with their season on the line. Another loss could potentially be detrimental to their playoff hopes. Although they are still favorites to clinch the AFC East, losing again will not be the momentum shift they need before a playoff run.
However, these last two weeks have been the farthest thing from ideal. That being said, an angry Brady might be ready to kick down the door against Buffalo.
