Quarterback Tom Brady and tight Rob Gronkowski treated tonight’s game as business as usual, as the New England Patriots (1-0) used their (Brady and Gronkowski) talents and a tough defense to knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) 28-21 on the NFL’s opening game of the 2015 season. With this win at home, the Patriots move their record to 5-1 in season openers this decade.
Brady was his usual super efficient and confident self tonight, as he went 25 of 32 for 288 yards, 4 touchdown passes and no picks. His main partner in crime, Gronkowski caught 5 passes for 94 yards and 3 scores. Tonight was Gronkowksi’s first 3 touchdown game since October 26, 2014 when the Pats clobbered the Chicago Bears 51-23. If he keeps this up with 2 or more touchdown receptions a game, Gronkowski could easily better his personal record of 17 touchdown receptions that he had back in the 2011 season.
Tonight it didn’t seem to matter that New England’s number one back, LaGarrette Blount, was serving a two-game suspension. Because their other backs (namely and ONLY Dion Lewis) did a decent job of catching passes and keeping some of the focus off the passing game. Plus, as mentioned before, Brady and Gronkowski were so red hot tonight that a solid running game was irrelevant.
Meanwhile, after a scoreless first quarter, someone finally got on the board early in the second quarter. Gronkowski was that someone, when he and Brady hooked up for a down the right sideline 16 yard touchdown reception. The Patriots took a 7-0 lead.
Then late in the same quarter, Brady took the snap and play faked to running back Brandon Bolden, Brady then spotted an open Gronkowski. The star tight end maneuvered up the seam and leaped into the air to snare a 6 yard touchdown reception over the heads of Steeler safeties Mike Mitchell and Will Allen. With 4:01 left in the first half, the Patriots had a 14-0 lead and Gronkowski had the 56th touchdown reception of his five-year career. Gronkowski was on fire as he had 3 catches for 41 yards and 2 scores before the first half was even over.
The Steelers finally got on the board when their placekicker Josh Scobee booted a 44 yard field goal to get cut the Patriots’ lead to 14-3 with just three seconds left in the first half.
On the Patriots’ first offensive drive of the second half, the drive was aided by some unsung players that no one really outside of the Patriots organization knows about or gives much thought to. First up is backup running back Lewis (120 yards total offense; including 69 yards rushing and 51 yards receiving). Lewis gained 20 yards on 2 consecutive carries which moved his team to the PIT 35 yard line.
Lewis’ runs set up a 1 yard touchdown reception by number 2/3 tight end Scott Chandler, who scored despite linebacker Lawrence Timmons trying so hard to keep him out of the left corner of the end zone. That ended up being Chandler’s only catch of the night and the only pass thrown in his direction, but he made it count. The score was now 21-3 early in the third quarter.
The Steelers really had to dig into their running back corps to get their first touchdown of the game. With their best running back Le’Veon Bell serving a 2-game suspension, the Steelers had no choice. Fullback Will Johnson bullied his way forward and into the end zone from 1 yard out. And on the next play instead of sending Scobee in for the 25 yard extra point, Roethlisberger completed a 2-point conversion pass to wide receiver Markus Wheaton (3 catches for 55 yards) to cut the Pats’ lead to 21-11 with 6:43 left in the third quarter.
Johnson was the first person to score a touchdown for Pittsburgh tonight, and that was also his first rushing touchdown of his four-year NFL career.
That touchdown run was important for Pittsburgh. Because on their next defensive series, they were able to force the Patriots’ first punt since early in the second quarter, when Allen came on a safety blitz and sacked Brady for a 7 yard loss to force a 4th and 10 punt by Ryan Allen of New England.
Super late and on the ensuing drive, Wheaton came up big for his team again, when he beat Pats free safety Devin McCourty to the right sideline to secure a 26 yard reception. That play set up a Ben Roethlisberger (26 of 38 for 351 yards, 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception) completion to tight end Heath Miller, who was wrestled down at the NE 8 yard line by Pats strong safety Patrick Chung. Those plays set up Scobee’s second successful field goal of the night, this one from 24 yards and a 21-14 score with 11:39 left in the contest.
The Patriots’ next scoring drive was set up by a Gronkowski broken coverage 52 yard reception to the PIT 27 yard line. Then later in the drive, Lewis showed that he could be one of the guys to help replace the absent Blount at running back. Lewis took a Brady pass 19 yards to the PIT 1 yard line where he was hit and he subsequently fumbled the ball into the hands of Gronkowski. The play was later ruled a fumble recovery by Gronkowski at the NE 1 instead of a touchdown.
A few players later, Gronkowski secured his third touchdown reception of the game, as he beat Pittsburgh linebacker Terence Garvin to the left corner of the end zone for a Patriots touchdown and an eventual 28-14 advantage.
With seven minutes left in the game, Pats strong safety Duron Harmon ran from his coverage spot and picked off a Roethlisberger pass at the NE 7 yard line which is where Harmon also went out of bounds. That was the Steelers’ last key potential scoring drive which could have put them within 28-21 of the Pats.
Super late in the game, Patriots defensive end Jabaal Sheard ended just about all the Steelers’ hopes of trying to come back to win this game, as he sacked Roethlisberger for a 7 yard loss. But with two seconds left in the game, Roethlisberger fired an 11 yard back of the end zone touchdown pass to receiver Antonio Brown (9 catches for 133 yards and 1 score) for a 28-21 score. But it was too little too late.
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