The Patriots beat the Steelers on Sunday 17-14, bringing their record to 1-1 before welcoming the Ravens to Foxboro next week for their home opener.
The defense was once again solid, and the offense was respectable – but it was special teams that won it for them in Pittsburgh.
One specific play – to be exact. The below sequence on punt coverage was the turning point in today’s game. After what looked to be a turnover on downs, New England punted to Pittsburgh for what would have been a chance for them to take the lead:
Instead – undrafted special teamer Brenden Schooler went down the field, untouched, and grabbed a muffed punt return from former Pats return man Gunner Oslewski. The play was a part of my Five Takeaways following the win:
3. Special teams come up huge.
New England has prided themselves on having a quality special teams unit for the last quarter-century. They showed that again today.
After Pittsburgh forced a turnover on downs on New England, former Patriot, and now Steelers All-Pro return man Gunner Oslewski muffed a punt and new special-teamer Brenden Schooler jumped on it deep in Pittsburgh territory. It led to New England’s game winning touchdown.
Like I mentioned, two plays later running back Damien Harris punched it across the goal line to make it 17-6 Patriots.
This was a play the Patriots have been longing for. For years they’ve used these types of plays to their advantage – taking their opponents mistakes to gain an edge. They did just that on Sunday afternoon, and it helped them get the win.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!
Also be sure to check out our new sports betting Twitter account @CLNSBetting for all the latest odds and content from CLNS Media.
Use code CLNS50 for 50% off your first deposit at Betonline.ag.
