Steelers vs. Patriots: Score, Grades and Analysis

The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped their first game of the season in disappointing fashion, 28-21, on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the NFL’s annual prime-time kickoff game on Thursday.

Allowing the Patriots to score on two touchdowns in impressive fashion in the second quarter was a sign of things to come for a young, inexperienced Steelers defense, which gave up 361 total yards to Tom Brady and co. in the loss.

Able to hold the Patriots off the board in the first quarter, the Steelers offense appeared locked in early on, moving the ball down the field with relative ease through the air and on the ground. However, two missed Josh Scobee field goals and a missed touchdown opportunity scuttled any attempt at closing the gap heading into halftime.

Scobee did add a 44-yard field goal just before time ran out in the first half, sending the teams to the locker room with the Patriots leading 14-3 behind two Tom Brady-to-Rob Gronkowski touchdowns of 16 and 6 yards.

After halftime, the Patriots marched right down the field for their third straight touchdown against the Steelers defense. This time, Brady found reserve tight end Scott Chandler from two yards out. The former Bills tight end split out wide left, just inside Gronkowski, and he was able to lose his defender thanks to a rub route from Gronkowski, who ran a slant inside to counter Chandler’s flare out.

Down 21-3 early in the third quarter, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back DeAngelo Williams picked up where they left off in the first half as the Steelers marched 80 yards in seven plays, with fullback Will Johnson plunging into the end zone from 1-yard out. Roethlisberger connected with Markus Wheaton for the two-point conversion to make it 21-11 to the Patriots.

Williams, who rushed for more than 100 yards in a game for the first time since facing the New York Giants on Sept. 22, 2013, added runs of 28, 10 and 7 yards on the drive, and Roethlisberger connected with Antonio Brown for 33 yards.

Forcing a three and out of the Patriots offense for the first time all game, the Steelers defense got off the field quickly to allow the hot Steelers offense back onto the field. This time, the Steelers marched 67 yards in 13 plays before stalling in the red zone thanks to some horrendous play-calling by offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Facing a 3rd-and-8 from the Patriots 8-yard line, the Steelers lined up in gun with Williams as the sidecar to the left. Instead of taking a shot at the end zone, Williams ran a draw that was stopped well short of the goal line, forcing Pittsburgh to settle for a Scobee 24-yard field goal.

Taking advantage of the Steelers' conservative play-calling in the red zone, the Patriots offense marched right down the field once again, highlighted by Gronkowksi’s 52-yard catch-and-run in which he was left wide open down the seam.

"

So, who'd be willing to get in Gronk's way...? #PITvsNE http://t.co/j7gZk5uaRT

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 11, 2015"

On the drive, Brady reached 19 consecutive completions in the game, good for a franchise record, on a night when he was rarely challenged in making completion after completion against a secondary that appeared lost for much of the game.

Gronkowski added his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, this time a 1-yard reception, putting the Patriots up 28-14 with less than 10 minutes to go in the game.

Roethlisberger connected with Brown late for an 11-yard touchdown one drive after throwing a costly interception to Duron Harmon as the Steelers were moving into Patriots territory. The throw was intended for Darrius Heyward-Bey on a go route, but Roethlisberger stared down his intended target, making it easy for Harmon to sell out on the go route and undercut a poorly thrown ball.

Notes

• Antonio Brown extended his NFL record for games with at least five receptions to 33. He finished with nine receptions for 133 yards and the one late touchdown.

• Ben Roethlisberger was sharp much of the night, going 26-of-38 passing for 351 yards, but the late interception thwarted any chance the Steelers had at mounting a comeback.

• DeAngelo Williams proved all of his doubters wrong while averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He finished with 127 yards on 21 carries, including a long of 28 yards. The veteran running back looked as healthy and as explosive as he’s been in years. That’s a positive sign for the Steelers moving forward.

• Starting in place of safety Shamarko Thomas, Will Allen had the best game of any Steelers defender, finishing with a team-high eight tackles to go along with a big sack on Brady in the third quarter to force a punt. However, Allen had to leave the game late to be evaluated for concussion.

• Rookie outside linebacker Bud Dupree recorded his first career sack in the first quarter after chasing down a scrambling Tom Brady from behind. Although unblocked on the play, Dupree showed good burst coming off of the edge.

• Recently acquired cornerback Brandon Boykin didn’t see the field for the Steelers during the opening-night loss. It’s puzzling as to why the veteran corner wasn’t used, especially considering the fact Antwon Blake and Cortez Allen were routinely torched.

Grades

DeAngelo Williams, A+

The Steelers couldn’t have asked for a better performance from Williams, who started in place of the suspended Le'Veon Bell. Carrying the ball 21 times for 127 yards, Williams provided the Steelers with balance and explosion out of the backfield, forcing the Patriots to respect the run all night long.

There were concerns about his health and explosion coming into the year, but Williams quickly put them to bed, showing great vision, burst and the ability to make defenders miss.

Knowing Bell is out one more week, the Steelers can rest easy knowing they can rely on Williams out of the backfield against San Francisco in Week 2.

Kelvin Beachum, C-

Looking to get his contract year off to a good start, Beachum might have hurt his chances of landing a big payday early on with his performance against the Patriots.

Yes, Beachum looked strong in the running game—much like the entire Steelers offensive line did—but the SMU product was hit with three penalties and allowed a horrendous sack to Jabaal Sheard late.

Just one play before the sack, Beachum was called for an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty against Sheard, which looked like a poor call. However, instead of moving on and focusing on the next play, Beachum continued to bark at the officials, which took his focus off of Sheard. A quick move to the outside allowed Sheard to slip past Beachum and get to Roethlisberger with relative ease.

"

Beachum too worried about bad call to block Sheard. Price tag going down.

— Josh Carney (@Josh_CarneyPFS) September 11, 2015"

Will Allen, B+

Getting the surprise start over Shamarko Thomas, Will Allen did not disappoint much in the loss to the Patriots. Racking up eight tackles and a sack of Brady, Allen was all over the field in run support, as well as in coverage. Despite the strong showing on the stats sheet, Allen struggled to contain New England's weapons for much of the night.

With that said, Allen did record a first for his career in the loss: 

"

.@steelers S Will Allen (@WillAllenWAF) records the first sack of his NFL career - in his 164th career game.

— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) September 11, 2015"

Congratulations, Will.

Josh Scobee, F

So much for the Steelers addressing the kicking crisis by trading a sixth-round pick to the Jaguars for the former Pro Bowl kicker.

Scobee missed his first two attempts of the night before connecting on a 44-yarder and a 24-yarder. One would think that should Scobee make those first two kicks, this could have been a different ball game for the Steelers.

"

Josh Scobee showing he is no Shaun Suisham. 2 misses from 44 and 46, wide right, both from right hash.

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) September 11, 2015"

Alas, he missed both. The Steelers still have a kicking crisis—for now. Where’s Jeff Reed when you need him? Just kidding.

What's Next?

The Steelers and Patriots both have nine days off before they play again. For the Patriots, the break couldn’t come at a worse time considering how well they played offensively, especially Brady, Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis.

New England will travel to AFC East rival Buffalo on Sept. 20 with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

Pittsburgh will look to regroup defensively in a hurry, as Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers visit Heinz Field on Sept. 20 for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Fox. Kaepernick is no Brady, but with explosive weapons such as Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis, the Steelers secondary will have its hands full once again.