Steelers outlast Patriots thanks to turnovers

The Pittsburgh Steelers had been used to struggling badly on the road against the New England Patriots. But a dominant defense and an Aaron Rodgers clutch performance lifted the AFC North team to a 21-14 win at Gillette Stadium, their first victory there since 2008.

The Steelers’ defense made an immediate impact on New England’s opening drive. Cole Holcomb stripped the ball from Rhamondre Stevenson, and Darius Slay recovered for the black and gold. Pittsburgh capitalized on the turnover with a rushing touchdown by Kenneth Gainwell.

Aaron Rodgers passed Brett Favre early in the second quarter. The four-time MVP threw his 509th career touchdown pass on a 12-yard strike to D.K. Metcalf.

New England executed a perfect play action to get on the board. Drake Maye faked a handoff and hit Hunter Henry in the flat for the touchdown.

The Patriots looked poised to score again before halftime, but Maye made a costly mistake. He tried to hit Kayshon Boutte in the end zone, only for Brandin Echols to pick it off. The turnover came thanks to pressure from Cam Heyward on the New England quarterback.

Turnovers kill the Patriots

The second half started poorly for Pittsburgh, with Rodgers intercepted by Robert Spillane, who returned the ball deep into the red zone. But New England squandered the chance to tie when Stevenson fumbled again—this time just one yard from the goal line. The Steelers recovered in the end zone and denied the points.

Maye and Henry connected again early in the fourth quarter, and Andy Borregales tied the game at 14-all with the extra point.

New England had another promising drive late, but Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt bailed out the Steelers. Herbig sacked Maye and forced a fumble, and Watt came up with the recovery. Pittsburgh drained the clock and marched to the Patriots’ 17-yard line, where Rodgers found Calvin Austin to break the tie. The problem: 2:16 still remained for New England.

It ended when Drake Maye failed on fourth-and-one. He hit Demario Douglas on a screen pass, but the receiver was stopped behind the line of scrimmage.

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