A gutsy road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was the New England Patriots’ response for laying an egg in the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins at South Beach.
And they should be proud of it.
Yes, the Steelers have all sorts of problems happening on the offensive side of the ball, and the defense was playing without star pass-rusher T.J. Watt. But Pittsburgh’s defense is still clearly an elite unit coming off a game where they forced Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow into five turnovers.
Being able to go on the road and beat a well-coached team like the Steelers in a hostile environment is an impressive feat regardless.
Seeing as this is the Patriots’ first win of the season, we’re going to do something different this week and not name any losers. It was a team-earned victory, and they’ll need to be even better when hosting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
Here are the winners from Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Winner: Nelson Agholor
The struggles at receiver have been a subject of conversation for the Patriots for years. One of the reasons has been their clear lack of a No. 1 wideout capable of taking the top off opposing defenses.
Well, Nelson Agholor showed he’s still capable of being that guy if given a chance, after hauling in a beautiful touchdown strike from quarterback Mac Jones late in the second quarter.
NELSON AGHOLOR JUST MOSSED HIM 🤯pic.twitter.com/strEj1daVV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2022
Agholor wasn’t just a one-hit wonder in the game, either. He was a consistent threat as a receiver with a total of six receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown.
When Agholor is playing like he did on Sunday, it makes it a lot easier to overlook the fact that he’s the team’s third-highest cap hit this season.
Winner: Jakobi Meyers
I wouldn’t be surprised if Jakobi Meyers shows up as a winner every single week. He is without question Mac Jones’ favorite security blanket with short passes underneath.
It’s a huge part of the offense with players clearly struggling to get open. Meyers always seems to be the one guy consistently able to peel away from defenders and find open space.
By the end of Sunday’s game against the Steelers, he hauled a team-high nine receptions for 95 yards. The volume is there on a weekly basis, and Meyers is clearly taking advantage of it every second he’s on the field.
Winner: Matthew Judon
The outside linebacker with the red sleeves was once again flying all over the field making plays for the Patriots defense in Pittsburgh.
He earned four tackles and a sack in the game, but his most impressive play was sticking with running back Najee Harris on a wheel route and deflecting a pass that otherwise would have ended with big yardage for the Steelers. This game called for the defensive playmakers to step up in a big way, and Judon and company didn’t disappoint for the Patriots.
The entire defensive unit, especially Judon, will have to continue to make those sorts of plays throughout the season to win football games.
Winner: Mack Wilson
Jalen Mills might have come away with the interception on Mitch Trubisky, but Mack Wilson was truly the one that caused the play to happen on a tipped pass in the air.
The incredible speed and athleticism from Wilson is paying off big for the Patriots this season. He’s just one of those active defensive players that seemingly always ends up in positions to be able to make a play on the ball.
Such was the case against the Steelers on a play where the Patriots defense managed to flip the field.
Jalen Mills PICKED the tipped pass!
📺: #NEvsPIT on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/63C0YRqyqR pic.twitter.com/BOmgMJ5KFv— NFL (@NFL) September 18, 2022
Winner: Patriots offensive line
The Patriots did a great job of working to establish the run game against a powerful Steelers defensive front. Mac Jones also avoided going down with a sack in the matchup.
A big reason for the offensive success was an overall better effort from the Patriots’ offensive line. They showed more fight in their second outing, and they weren’t afraid to stand up to the Steelers in the trenches.
Rookie guard Cole Strange especially had a strong afternoon in his ability to fend off one of the Steelers’ stud veterans in Cameron Heyward. He’s beginning to prove Bill Belichick’s decision right for taking him in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
That isn’t to say everything was perfect along the offensive front. Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn had an issue with jumping too early. So there were clearly some minor things that need to be cleaned up moving forward. But the Patriots should be feeling much more confident offensively after seeing the group work as well as it did against the Steelers.
