Bedard's 3 Up, 3 Down: Gronk, Edelman Shine In Patriots Win Over Steelers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Sports Illustrated's Greg Bedard is back on Felger & Mazz for another NFL season, bringing his full breakdown of the previous week's Patriots game to the table every week.
Armed with his clipboard, files and charts, Bedard joined Felger & Mazz on Tuesday to analyze last Thursday's 28-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can watch the full segment above, and here are Bedard's Ups & Downs (as well as Mazz's) from New England's Week 1 win:
Bedard's Ups
Rob Gronkowski
"He was great, and the thing that really encouraged me is this is the first time he has now gotten back to his run-blocking level before the injuries. He was really good sealing the edges, and he was not this good last season. He is tough to deal with on the edge, and that will help the run game."
Dion Lewis
"He made people miss all over the place," said Bedard, also noting his contributions in the blocking game. "He made plays in this game."
Josh Kline
"He didn't give up anything; not in the run game or in the pass game," Bedard said of the New England guard. "Not only was he making his first start, but he was out there with two rookies and he was flip-flopping between right guard and left guard."
Mazz's Ups
Tom Brady
"He was awesome. Four touchdowns, 143.8 rating. He was dynamite."
Julian Edelman
"He was phenomenal in this game; he and Brady were the two best players on the field."
Dont'a Hightower
"I thought he was their best defensive player. He had a sack of Ben Roethlisberger where he realized his right arm was free and wouldn't let him throw it."
Bedard's Downs
Nate Solder
"He was OK, but I had him for three total QB pressures, a stuffed run, a hit and two hurries. He also had a couple of penalties, and that's what tipped it for me. Just too sloppy for him."
Malcolm Butler
"I didn't want to do this because I thought the kid played well, but there were too many plays made on him. It was a tough challenge, he played [Antonio Brown] tough, but he had too many errors."
Jamie Collins
"It looked like a repeat of early last season. If the defensive tackles weren't doing their job he was getting lost in the wrong gap, and he also had a few issues in coverage. A slow start for Jamie Collins, but I'm sure he'll get better from here out."
Mazz's Downs
Dominique Easley
"Can you stay on the field, please?"
Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones
"Overall I like [Ninkovich], but I thought the two ends, Ninkovich and Jones, they both stunk. Pittsburgh had too many runs outside."
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