Patriots 28, Steelers 21: 5 Plays That Tell The Story
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to put a damper on a rainy Banner Night in Foxboro, but the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots did what they've been doing under Bill Belichick and with Tom Brady under center for 15 years: the quarterback dominated, and the team found a way to win.
While it was not the Scorched Earth blowout many fans may have expected, the Patriots escaped Gillette Stadium in Foxboro with a 28-21 win that, after a garbage-time touchdown, looks closer than it really was.
The Patriots are on a mission to prove doubters wrong and shove it back in the faces of their many enemies like never before, after the insufferable off-season that until the last days brought the accomplishments of the team's entire decade-plus run into question - or dismissed them altogether.
Leave it to Brady and the offense to make the plays that would ignite the team's own firestorm.
Football is truly a game of inches, and you could boil just about any football game down to a handful of plays that tell you everything you need to know about how it went down. Just one or two plays could make all the difference, or serve as a microcosm of the full 60 minutes. And no, it doesn't involve headsets.
From Thursday night, none of those plays will involve the Patriots offensive line - but that's a good thing, because any time you don't notice the O-line that means they're doing their job. And everyone knows Brady was on-point, but what other plays stood out that swung the game?
Here are the 5 plays from Patriots - Steelers that tell the whole story:
1.Rob Gronkowski scores first of three TDs uncovered
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Uh, guys? You might want to put at least one guy on No. 87. You don't need your coach telling you through a headset to know you need to cover the best tight end on the planet.
Gronk had three touchdowns on the night, the Steelers defense looked overmatched on all of them, and it was ultimately the difference in the game. But on the first one, they just had a complete defensive breakdown. As disorganized as your defense can be, how do you leave THAT player wide open, of all people?
2. Patriots goal line shift causes Steelers false start
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
In the latest bit of made up Patriots controversy, Ben Roethlisberger was furious Thursday night when the Patriots shifted their goal line defense in the middle of Big Ben's cadence. A legal move, but perhaps an unwritten rule he felt was violated.
It's a pretty common thing around the league to shift your line in the middle of snap counts. Simulating a snap count is against the rules, but that's not what happened here. A similar thing happened at the end of Super Bowl XLIX, when the Patriots offense drew the Seahawks off-side with a hard snap count. It's just another example of the Patriots playing chess while the other team is playing checkers.
3. Antonio Brown makes circus catch with Malcolm Butler all over him
Malcolm Butler didn't have a bad night in his first game as the Patriots' No. 1 cornerback. He had a tall task right out the gate shadowing Antonio Brown, arguably the most dynamic wide receiver in the NFL.
Besides a few big plays given up, Butler kept up with Brown for the most part. But even when he had Brown blanketed, Butler couldn't stop him from making the first preposterous circus catch of the season.
4.Darrius Heyward-Bey can't keep his feet in bounds for easy TD catch
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Steelers didn't only have miscues on defense. While Ben Roethlisberger was sharp and they made a lot of plays down the field, Darrius Heyward-Bey blew an easy touchdown because he couldn't keep his feet - no, his toes in bounds on the catch.
The Steelers also tried an early double-pass play with Antonio Brown that derailed their opening drive and needlessly shifted momentum to the Patriots' side. Not the kind of thing you see from an organized, well-coached team. Or receivers with instincts.
5. Scott Chandler catches TD, looks like Gronk-lite
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Scott Chandler gave the Patriots a taste of the nightmare the Patriots could create with him and Gronk in the red zone. Twice the Pats set up for a running play only to split out Gronk and Chandler wide for a pass. The first time, it was Chandler's turn to grab his first touchdown as a Patriot.
Chandler isn't the freak athlete Gronk is, but if anyone can make him look like Gronk-lite it's Brady and the Patriots.
What other plays stood out to you in Patriots - Steelers?
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for CBSBostonSports.com and hopes to see more of the Tom Brady Scorched Earth Campaign. Read more from Matt here and follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff.
