There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin matchup to suddenly make everything okay again for the New England Patriots.
Who cares if this moment of bliss is fleeting? The Kansas City Chiefs are coming to Foxborough next week to more than likely stomp a mudhole in these Patriots, but thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tomlin, the team can rest peacefully for the next nine days.
Belichick came into Thursday night’s game 9-3 all-time against Tomlin. That number seemed sure to go in the other direction given the walking offensive disaster the Patriots have been all season.
And then it was like magic in Pittsburgh. The offense surprisingly looked ready to compete, and some of the most unlikely Patriots players stepped up as heroes.
Let’s delve into some leftover notes from Thursday’s game:
Mac Jones' worst nightmare come true
The most unlikely and incredible photo from Thursday’s game was an image of Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe signing a jersey after handing the Steelers a 21-18 loss at Acrisure Stadium.
What a scene.
Who would have thought the league-worst offense could march into Pittsburgh, with Zappe under center, and drop 21 points on a Mike Tomlin-coached defense?
The Patriots finally looked competent on the offensive side of the ball, and the skilled players were finally put in positions to make plays. Guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster this week and DeVante Parker last week have been deemed bust veteran players all season long, and they’ve suddenly resurfaced as playmakers with Zappe at quarterback.
That isn’t a good look for Mac Jones, who watched the game from the sidelines on Thursday. Not only was Zappe able to end a five-game losing streak, but he made the offense respond in a way we haven’t seen since the win over the Buffalo Bills.
Look, no one is expecting Zappe to be the second coming of Tom Brady, and the Patriots are sure to run into trouble in upcoming games. But as long as Zappe continues to manage games and remains somewhat effective, Jones’ sideline seat could remain permanent for the rest of the season.
Zeke leaves with a full belly
Patriots fans have been shouting “feed Zeke” since the team signed Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year deal back in August. Well, they got what they asked for on Thursday with the former two-time All-Pro running back leading the team in both carries and receptions.
With Rhamondre Stevenson out with an ankle injury, Elliott stepped up in a big way for the Patriots against a Steelers defense that looked shell-shocked throughout the entire first half of the game. In primetime, he powered his way for 22 carries for 68 yards and seven receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Zappe ➡️ Zeke! @baileyzappe04 | @EzekielElliott
📺: #NEvsPIT on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/MB9eFOQWwj
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 8, 2023
It was exactly the kind of performance you’d expect from a former two-time NFL leading rusher.
This hasn’t been a season of great decisions by Bill Belichick, but the decision to go out and get Elliott was obviously a slam dunk signing. He’s one of the rare veterans that has the perfect skill-set to ease the blow of losing a key player like Stevenson for an extended period of time.
It’s going to fall on offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to continue to get him more involved in the final four games of the season. Whether it’s as a receiver or a running back, he is clearly the most important skilled player on the field for the Patriots, which is surprising considering he sat on the sidelines as a free agent for multiple months.
There's still football life left in JuJu Smith-Schuster
So many people were ready to take a shovel to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s football career this season. The rapid drop in production combined with the swirling injury concerns had most Patriots fans furious over the decision to sign him for the same base deal Jakobi Meyers got from the Las Vegas Raiders.
I’m not saying one performance suddenly pours a bucket of ice water on that anger.
The Patriots clearly made the wrong decision in letting Meyers walk. But on Thursday night, Smith-Schuster also showed he has plenty of fight left on the field by racking up four receptions for 90 yards against his former football team.
It’s no coincidence that Smith-Schuster had his best game of the season a week after DeVante Parker suddenly came alive in the offense. The one common thread is Bailey Zappe at quarterback. There’s a connection those two receivers have managed to find with him that they haven’t been able to find with Mac Jones.
It’ll be interesting seeing how involved Smith-Schuster remains in the offense in the coming games. For a team dealing with so many injuries at wide receiver, they desperately need him to step up and be the same player he was for the Kansas City Chiefs in their Super Bowl run last season.
The offense finally gave the defense a fighting chance
The first-half blitz by the Patriots offense was enough for the defense to carry the team the rest of the way. Even with the unit at less than 100 percent, they are still one of the best in the NFL.
If there was anyone in the stadium happier than Bailey Zappe on Thursday night, it had to be the defense. The unit had to be seething after holding the Los Angeles Chargers to only six points a few days ago and still losing the game. But they never let those frustrations get the best of them.
They continued to show up and play hard against a Steelers team with playoff life. Safety Jabrill Peppers came up with another key takeaway, while cornerback Jonathan Jones was smothering in pass coverage.
The defensive front also deserves a ton of credit for shutting down the Steelers’ run game and forcing backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky to beat them with his arm. This was another Bill Belichick special dialed up to perfection for the Patriots.
There are still major concerns for the Patriots
This was a great team win for the Patriots, despite whatever impact it has down the line on their 2024 NFL draft positioning. But it wasn’t all pretty.
Just when the offense looked like it had everything figured out in the first half, they came out in the second half of the game and went completely cold. If not for another strong defensive effort, the Patriots would have blown Thursday’s game.
They were completely shut out in the final two quarters by the Steelers defense, and Zappe, who was wheeling and dealing early in the game, came crashing back down to Earth.
Did we just get bad football from the Steelers, or are the Patriots really that good and just took their foot off the gas late? I want to believe it’s the latter, but this Patriots team hasn’t done much in the way to convince anyone that’s the case.
Let’s hope all of their offensive magic wasn’t used up in the first half in Pittsburgh.
