Heading into Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers receiver/return man Gunner Olszewski took it as an opportunity to get even with his former team.
He said he wanted to “show out” when facing a Patriots team he felt didn’t want him. Instead, he ended up making the crucial mistake in the third quarter that might have cost the Steelers the game. It was a muffed punt that set the Patriots up in the red zone for an easy seven points to extend the lead in what was mostly a defensive game.
“I just dropped it,” Olszewski said, per Boston.com’s Khari Thompson. “That’s on me. Game that tight, you can’t have mistakes like that.”
Current #Steelers, former #Patriots Returner, Gunner Olszewski just gave his former team a gift by muffing the punt.pic.twitter.com/SpohCic8UV
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 18, 2022
It was a rough turn of events for Olszewski in a game that came down to mistakes. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pointed to the muffed punt as a significant moment in the game that really hurt the team against the Patriots.
“We had our moments,” said Tomlin. “We won some possession downs on offense, we won some possession downs on defense. But, again, that seven points in a two-minute circumstance and their ability to put seven points on the board after we didn’t handle the punt were the significant components of the game.”
Olszewski joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent back in 2019. After three years with the team, he signed a two-year deal with the Steelers back in March.
We’ll see how he responds in Week 3 with Pittsburgh heading back out on the road for a divisional meeting with the Cleveland Browns, while the Patriots turn the page to a tough matchup at home with the Baltimore Ravens.
