Film Review: Pats vs. Steelers 10 Notes

This was one of the more exciting games to dive into once the All-22 game film was released. There were plenty of good and bad plays that were tough to evaluate in the moment. The emotionless re-watch that is the film review sheds light on what really happened.

Throw out the 69-yard atrocity at the end and this was a quintessential Patriots thriller. It should never have come down to any of the “survive the ground” stuff at the end. The Patriots have their weaknesses, like all teams, but once again their steadfast focus in tight games in tough locations allowed them to overcome.

Here are my 10 thoughts on what transpired.

1. Third down defined the game for me defensively, and once the Patriots forced some punts, the door opened for the win. On many of the early third down conversions the Steelers simply out executed the Patriots. They deserve a lot of credit, especially to Ben Roethlisberger who delivered a ton of strikes to the only barely-open receiver. The Patriots were just not confusing or disruptive enough on those passing downs, and were often slow to recognize and react.
2. When the defense did finally start getting third down stops it was because of penalties drawn early in the series. But they also won on early downs pretty consistently. Given the quality of the matchup I can’t kill the defense this week, outside of the 69-yarder, because they did what it took to win the game, aside from almost completely blowing it.
3. On the 69-yarder the Patriots were in man defense and Jordan Richards, occupied with his man, failed to see the catch had already been made and that he needed to set the sideline edge. Unfortunately he not only didn’t set the edge, but he cut off McCourty’s pursuit angle, essentially walling him off from make the play. Richards actually playing a role on defense this year is a sign of how the athleticism at the second level has been thinned.
4. Rob Gronkowski was a man amongst boys in this one, and his pure domination of the Steeler defense willed the Patriots’ comeback. The reliance on Gronk also illustrates that the lack of quick open guys can really stall the offense. The Steelers were stacking the middle of the field and paying extra attention to Danny Amendola. Gronk was equally devastating with his blocking on Dion Lewis‘ touchdown and third down pickup, huge plays where even when he didn’t touch the ball he played a huge part. And the amount of separation he was getting on defensive backs is insane.
5. Brandin Cooks is a really good down the field, but he’s catching just 51 percent of his targets on third down. The chemistry with Brady is there sometimes, but it’s still missing other times. The touchdown throw to Cooks was a pretty athletic throw by Brady. He was moving forward, pulled up and still threw a dart for the Cooks score.
6. David Harris and Elandon Roberts aren’t Hightower and Collins. They’re barely better than Monty Beisel and Chad Brown. When the Steelers got them running laterally through traffic, they had success. Kyle Van Noy‘s return would be exactly what the defense needs. He’s  gives them athleticism on the edge and a behind-the-line playmaking ability.
7. So now there’s going to be a lot of “is man defense and interior pressure” the way to stop the Patriots’ offense? Two thoughts, 1) Yes, the Patriots offense does struggle to get open quick, 2) It won’t matter if Dion Lewis keeps running like this. If the Patriots get into the playoffs with this Dion Lewis, they should be able to back off any team that wants to play a ton of man defense. And Lewis’ success would open the door to play action deep shots to Cooks. The final touchdown drive tells you everything you need to know about the Patriots offense — Gronk can take over a game and Dion Lewis is a water bug who can run between the tackles. Bring Hogan back and things will look better too.
8. The compete level in the secondary was there all night. The Steelers made quite a few “tip the cap” plays when the defense had near-perfect coverage. The pass rush just was a moment too late or they didn’t finish Roethlisberger when they had the chance. Again Van Noy should help, but you can’t help but wonder what if with Hightower and rookie Derek Rivers in the mix as well.
9. I just don’t know about Eric Lee, who once again played a ton, with 44 of 67 defensive plays, more than Dietrich Wise, once the apple of all our eyes earlier this season. Lee is a little more in Trey Flowers mold and lighter on his feet and some plays I’m impressed by him, others he gets washed away. It’s so strange that it has come to this collection of players who compile the Pats’ front seven right now. Put linebackers and defensive ends atop the draft need list.
10. Ricky Jean-Francois did some good things after being cut then returning to fill the Alan Branch void. The interior of the defensive line can really dominate and we saw that against the run down the stretch. When the edge was set, the Steelers never got much of anything as Malcom Brown continues on his excellent season.