Tom Brady Leads the New England Patriots to Victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the New England Patriots was one of the premiere match ups for Week 10, as both teams entered 6-2.

After New England was manhandled by the Cleveland Browns Week 9, many were unsure which Patriots team we would see Week 10.

We knew Bill Belichick’s Tom Brady-led Patriots would come out more prepared for this game than they had all season, after the embarrassing loss to Belichick’s former pupil Eric Mangini Week 9.

The Steelers finally returned home with a lot of momentum after going 2-1 in three straight road games.

We had the Steelers’ stout defense and improved offense penciled in already.

The only question was how the Patriots would respond against a team they have generally owned in recent years.

It is difficult to believe anybody expected the outcome we received Sunday night:

A strategic massacre by the Patriots offense and an onslaught by their defense.

‘Tom Terrific’ was just that.

His offensive line was brilliant last night, protecting him throughout the game.

Brady was not sacked once, allowing him—despite suffering from an injured foot—to scan the field and repeatedly find the open target. Over the middle, at the sideline, underneath or over the top of the coverage; you name it, Brady did it.

Brady hit eight different receivers en route to passing for 350 yards and three touchdowns in the lopsided contest. He completed 30 of 43 attempted passes (69.8 completion percentage) and refused to turn the ball over to the NFL’s best defense.

The main recipient was rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, who Brady turned into a household superstar last night.

Gronkowski completed the hat trick, catching three touchdown passes on five receptions for 72 yards.

Gronkowski’s first touchdown of the game in the first quarter was a diving attempt, displaying strong hands on Brady’s dart to the front stripe of the end zone.

Gronkowski was also used in the flats in the red zone, where Brady found him quickly for his second touchdown wide open towards the right sideline.

Gronkowski’s third touchdown came on a 25-yard soft touch pass over the top of the defense in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots used their gifted athletes to create mismatches against the Steelers' talented defense. With precise route running, they dissected the Steelers secondary from the first possession of the game.

This allowed Wes Welker to finally get back involved in the Patriots offense after being almost invisible for a few weeks. In the previous three games, Welker caught 11 passes for 85 yards.

In Week 10, Welker caught eight passes for 89 yards because the Patriots finally decided to throw down field where they appeared hesitant last week against the Browns.

Brady’s superb passing efficiency opened the game for the running attack, which was suffering in previous games.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis was able to rush for 87 yards against the usually impenetrable Steelers run defense.

Even Tom Brady decided to test his luck against the Steelers has he appeared to have an extra pep in his step.

From the three yard line, Brady called his own number and made his way up the middle behind his offensive line before finally powering his way to the goal line for a touchdown. Brady sprung to his feet into the middle of the end zone and spiked the ball down with authority before congratulating his teammates for piling on the score.

The Patriots' defense was on point, playing one of their best games of the season.

With the left side of the Steelers’ offensive line out due to injuries, the Patriots disrupted Ben Roethlisberger. They got to Big Ben for an outstanding five sacks, as the usually elusive quarterback could not evade defenders.

The pass rush hurried Roethlisberger enough to force him into errant throws. In the fourth quarter, James Sanders picked off Roethlisberger and ran it back 32 yards for a touchdown in what appeared to seal the game.

The Steelers gained yards on offense. Roethlisberger managed to throw for 387 yards on 30 of 49 attempted passes (61.2 completion percentage) with three touchdowns.

The Patriots' defense stood tall in the red zone.

The Steelers suffered from many miscues in the red zone such as missed field goals, poor route running and dropped passes, but the New England defense deserves credit for their fantastic play.

The Patriots rush defense only yielded 76 yards on the ground.

For a smash mouth team like the Steelers, this is inexcusable against a rush defense like the Patriots who surrendered 184 yards and two touchdowns to Peyton Hillis Week 9.

The Steelers suffered from Hines Ward leaving in the first quarter due to a concussion, but it is difficult to believe he would have made much of a difference in this contest.

The Patriots went on the road and played one of their better games of the season following an awful road loss. They were as well prepared as a unit as they have been all season. Tom Brady worked well with a suspect offensive supporting cast. He threw accurate strikes across the field. He was as determined in this outing as we have ever seen him.

The Patriots are focused and have a date with their arch rivals next week: Peyton Manning and his Colts.

The Steelers were victims of an old fashioned beat down; such a whooping that it will linger the rest of the season. The Raiders better pray to the Football Gods they make it out of Heinz Field Week 11 without too many injuries or embarrassment.

It would not be a surprise to see these two teams facing off against each other in January striving to make the Super Bowl. With the Lombardi Trophy on the line in that one, I would expect an even grittier, closer battle to take place.

Until then, the Patriots carry a lot of momentum into Week 11 while the Steelers are searching for answers.