It really was an eye-opener. The New England Patriots had a lot to play for — their pride, first and foremost — and they played like champions.
Here are 10 things we learned last night at Gillette Stadium:
1. Steelers are not on par with Patriots.
If that’s the best defense in the NFL, I’m afraid to see what the second best is. The Steelers are a good team. They are probably on a par with the San Diego Chargers. But you can’t beat the Patriots if you can’t keep them in the 20s and score in the 30s. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is Pro Bowl quality, and so is running back Willie Parker. But they are not a speed-based offense, which is the kind that could hurt the Patriots defense.
2. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has some growing up to do.
Consider it a lesson learned. The fact that Anthony Smith, an unknown safety thrust into a starting role due to injury, can make a guarantee like that says the locker room is not yet his. Tomlin appears to be a good coach in the making. His team plays hard for him. But they had better learn from their mistake this past week.
3. Wes Welker and Randy Moss make each other better.
When defenses have to worry about Welker, Moss has more opportunities for big plays. While Moss is the key player, other than Brady. Moss’ presence makes everybody better. But Welker’s five straight completions, which began on the 1-yard line, got the Patriots to the Steelers’ 36, basically ending the game there early in the fourth quarter.
4. Pats defense isn’t as bad as it was against Philly and Baltimore.
The Patriots defense is definitely second fiddle to the Pats offense, but last night the difference last night was they allowed field goals instead of touchdowns. It also had a goal-line stand, setting up the Brady-Welker drive soon after. It was the bend-don’t-break version we’ve seen around here. They gave up some yards, but only 13 points.
5. Laurence Maroney still isn’t right.
Lost in all of the good news, was Maroney’s performance. He had only 18 yards on eight carries, but still appears to be “dancing” a tad too much at the line of scrimmage. The Patriots can win without him, obviously, but if he has a good game the Pats are unbeatable.
6. Jabar Gaffney is “12th player” award winner.
I realize there isn’t such an award, but Gaffney has made some big plays in each of the last three win. He was a late addition a year ago and not many thought he would be a hold-over, but he seems to be a Brady target when the others are covered. He had seven receptions for 123 yards last night, including the back-breaker on the double lateral pass from Brady.
7. Chad Jackson is clawing way back to a roster spot.
This might not be good news for Troy Brown, but the 2006 second-round pick made a couple of nice plays in the return game, one on a punt, which he snared on a bounce, and another on a muffed kickoff return which he calmly recovered. He also gave the offense a jump start with his 39-yard kickoff return to the Pats’ 48 after the Steelers took a 3-0 lead. You can’t help but notice Jackson’s size (6-1, 215 pounds). His future might not be so grim.
8. O-line might be best in league in protection.
One thing Brady had last night was time to throw. The zone blitzes the Steelers are known for never materialized. The key to beating the Patriots is pressure on Brady. He was not sacked last night, in fact, he wasn’t really hurried as much as expected. Only Brett Favre has been sacked fewer times (15 vs. Brady’s 16).
9. Rodney Harrison is coming into form.
Harrison has been rusty, coming off his four-game suspension for his “HGH” purchases at the start of the season, is the Patriots play-maker on defense. He made the big stop at the goal line on Hines Ward. Lately, he has around a lot of big plays on defense. Last night, he led the Pats with 11 tackles and was excellent in coverage. As Peyton Manning has said, the Pats are a different team without Harrison.
10. Asante Samuel might be the best cover-corner in the league.
Samuel almost had two interceptions last night, one which would have been returned for a touchdown. The Steelers, like most teams, kept away from his left side for most of the game. He is not only quick, but very smart. He very rarely gets fooled.
That’s it for now.
Let me know what your thoughts were on last night’s game and what it might mean the rest of the way.
