Finally, Week One of the NFL Season is upon us. After a wild offseason that culminated yesterday with the shocking addition of Antonio Brown to the Patriots, we are ready for real football. The Patriots will be raising their 6th championship banner tonight, a feat only known by the team who they are hosting tonight, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Our Week One Live Blog will provide updates as soon as the banner show begins.
The Steelers had some well-publicized moves this offseason, watching running back Leveon Bell sign with the Jets and the trade of Antonio Brown to the Raiders, a move that has now turned into a trade-release-signed with the Patriots, so we also have that storyline hanging over this game, although Brown will not play because he wasn’t signed before the 4PM Saturday deadline. He’ll be in Foxboro tomorrow to sign his new deal and will likely be active for Week Two. This can’t sit well with the Steelers, especially after they balked at New England when they offered a first round selection for Brown during the offseason.
Pittsburgh is still a very talented team, with James Connor leading the way for the running game, and old man Ben Roethlisberger still has a great weapon in JuJu Smith-Schuster, so tonight’s game is going to be far from easy. Pittsburgh defeated New England last December by a score of 17-10; can the Steelers control the Patriots offense once again? We will see in less than two hours.
The Patriots defense faces their first stiff test too, and with the expectations that they have, tonight will show if they are for real or not. There is no better way to gauge where you stand than against a Pittsburgh offense. Roethlisberger may have a tough time dealing with the Patriots pass rush tonight, something to keep in mind as we get closer to game time.
Be sure to follow our Week One Live Blog throughout the game! Enjoy the game!
FIRST QUARTER
15:00- The 6th Banner is unveiled, and we are ready for kickoff.
14:56- Bolden returns the kick for the Patriots, and the offense will start at the 20…
14:20- Michel runs for a loss of one…2nd & 11…
14:12- Jet sweep to Bolden for a gain of seven…3rd & 4…
13:39- White runs to the weak side on the draw, picking up six yards and the 1st down; 1st & 10…
13:08- Michel runs for four; 2nd & 6…
12:36- Loss of four by Michel; 3rd & 10…
12:01- Brady loses control of the throw and it comes up short; Bailey shows why he wins the punting job and pins the Steelers back at the 11; 1st & 10, Steelers…
11:09- Schuster for 11 on the catch; 1st & 10…
10:32- Connor makes the catch for a gain of eight; 2nd & 2…
10:01- Connor runs off-tackle for a gain of six; 1st & 10…
9:24- Connor runs for a gain of two; 2nd & 8…
8:43- Connor runs for two, Hightower on the tackle; 3rd & 6…
8:01- Incomplete, but that appeared to be PI but wasn’t. Great play, fair catch on the punt made at the Patriots 17. Let’s see if the offense can put together a scoring drive; the best way to do it may be to just spread them out and let Brady throw.
7:50- Brady looks uncomfortable in the pocket and the pass to Edelman is incomplete…2nd & 10…
7:35- 15-yard completion to Burkhead; 1st & 10…
7:15- Brady steps up in the pocket but overthrows the pass to Edelman; Izzo was called for OPI on the play. 1st & 20…
7:11- White runs for nine big yards on 1st down; 2nd & 11 from the New England 33…
6:32- Brady checks to the run, and White rewards him with a six-yard run; 3rd & 5…
5:54- Dorsett with the gain of eight on the out route; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 48…
5:22- Trickery for 32 yards! Edelman catches the backward pass, who then throws it back to White for the big gain; 1st & 10…
5:10- Touchdown, Patriots!! Josh Gordon makes the catch and does the rest as he breaks two tackles on his way to the end zone from 20 yards out. The Patriots offense looked very good on that drive, at least after the 1st play. Patriots 7, Steelers 0
4:46- Kickoff is through the end zone, and the Steelers will take over at their own 25…
4:42- Samuels runs for a gain of two on a play the Patriots struggled against in 2018; 2nd & 8…
3:59- Hightower blows up the play, and the Steelers are still called for holding. New England accepts the penalty; 2nd & 18…
3:28- Moncrief picks up three on the catch, Calhoun is cramping up on the field. Injury timeout and the Steelers will face 3rd & 15…
3:00- One-handed catch was nice, but not enough for the 1st down, and the Steelers are forced to punt. The Patriots will take over at their own 38 after the strong return by Olszewski. 1st & 10, Patriots…
2:02- Meyers with the great catch and run after contact; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 40…
1:26- White with the nice catch for a gain of five; 2nd & 5…
:49- Michel runs for five, but it just short of the 1st down; 3rd & short…
:27- Michel runs for two and the 1st down; 1st & 10…
:00- That is the end of the first quarter, a quarter that started out looking like the Steelers would own, but instead was flipped the opposite way. The Patriots offense is starting to click, and the defense is stopping the run, which they couldn’t do last December. If the game continues to go the way it is going, New England will win by three scores. Patriots 7, Steelers 0
SECOND QUARTER
15:00- Slant to Gordon for a gain of nine; 2nd & 1…
14:20- Michel runs for a gain of two; 1st & 10…
13:44- Edelman with the catch and run for nine yards; 2nd & 1 from the Steelers 11…
13:10- Michel picks two and the first down; 1st & Goal from the Steelers nine…
12:27- Wheel route to White goes for just one yard; 2nd & Goal from the eight…
12:00- Same play, different side, this time it was incomplete to Burkhead though; watch for the slant to Gordon…3rd & Goal…
11:54- Gordon was able to break free, but Brady threw it away when he ran out of time and area; Gostkowski drilled the 25-yard field goal and the Patriots extend their lead to 10. Good to score, but that felt like a missed opportunity. Patriots 10, Steelers 0
11:43- Pass is caught for a gain of eight; 2nd & 2…
11:14- Chung with the great tackle on the gain of one; 3rd & 1…
10:32- Good spot for the Steelers, but they will measure to see if he picked up the 1st down…and he did NOT make it. The Steelers will punt because if they don’t make it, this game could be over. New England takes over at the 35 after another strong return by Olszewski; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 35…
9:22- Run for three on 1st, incomplete on 2nd, and incomplete on 3rd; that was an ugly series. Patriots are forced to punt, and the Steelers will take over at 33 on the short kick. Patriots 10, Steelers 0
9:08- Holding on Bentley gives the Steelers and automatic 1st down; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 35…
9:01- Great play by Gilmore to blow up the block and allow Bentley to make an athletic tackle to limit the run to five instead of 15; 2nd & 5…
8:22- Four-yard run by Connor; 3rd & 1…
7:41- Jamie Collins blows up the play! Loss of four on the athletic play by Collins, a very underrated pickup by New England. 4th & 6…and the ball is fair caught at the Patriots 20.
6:52- Burkhead runs for four; 2nd & 6…
6:20- Three more for Burkhead; 3rd & 3…
5:47- Fake end around to Gordon and an out to White for six yards and a first down; 1st & 10…
5:12- Edelman with the catch at the Steelers 49, and the Patriots pick up another 1st down; 1st & 10…
4:29- Edelman with a catch and run for 25 yards; Patriots with a 1st & 10 from the 25…
3:49- Touchdown, Patriots!! Dorsett with the catch on the beautiful bullet from Brady down the seam and the Patriots put together a clinic of a drive. Patriots 17, Steelers 0
3:42- Incomplete pass, and a great job by the Patriots secondary because there was absolutely zero pass rush; 2nd & 10…
3:37- Incomplete pass on the smash route and McCourty almost ran it down for the pick; 3rd & 10…
3:31- Schuster finally reappears, this time for 18 yards and a 1st down; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 43…
2:52- Gain of one, Patriots defended the play well; 2nd & 9…
2:15- Incomplete pass to James Washington, who had Jason McCourty beat; 3rd & 9…
2:09- Gain of eight on the bubble screen, and the Steelers are faced with a 4th & 1 from the Patriots 45. They’ll most likely go for it…4th & 1…
2:00- Steelers can’t pick up the 1st down after Chung breaks up the short pass, and the Patriots will take over with a short field to work with. 1st & 10, Patriots…
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1:51- Burkhead for 11 on the screen; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 42…
1:23- Burkhead with a nice catch on a low throw; 2nd & 5…
1:00- What looked like a hold is not called, and the Patriots face 3rd & 5…
:55- White with the catch in the flat for another first down; 1st & 10 from the Pittsburgh 27…
:48- Dorsett with the gain of four; 2nd & 6…
:27- Incomplete pass, and the Patriots are now facing 3rd & 6…
:21- Incomplete pass, and the Patriots will attempt the field goal…
:17- Field goal is good! Gostkowski drills it from 41 yards out, and the Patriots extend their lead to 20. Patriots 20, Steelers 0
:12- Connor runs for one, and that will do it for the first half. New England looked every bit the World Champ and 2019 favorite as they dominated play in every facet- offense, defense, and special teams. Go hit the fridge, it is halftime.
PATRIOTS 20, STEELERS 0
HALFTIME
15:00- Pittsburgh needs to put together a good drive here…
14:51- Gain of five by Connor; 2nd & 5…
14:10- Switzer with the catch for seven, and the Steelers pick up a 1st down to start the series; 1st & 10…
13:32- Simon should have picked it off, but he still broke up the slant; 2nd & 10…
13:27- Good pressure from the Patriots front seven, and the Steelers now face 3rd & 10; big play here for Pitt…
13:20- Washington burns McCourty for a gain of 33 down the sideline; Steelers get the play they needed; 1st & 10…
12:52- Moncrief appeared to score, but Jason McCourty broke it up; 2nd & 10…
12:44- Big Ben runs for seven; man has he slowed down. 3rd & 3, another huge play for the Steelers…
11:58- Pass was incomplete, but the Patriots were called for holding on the play (Gilmore) and the Steelers pick up the 1st down; 1st & Goal from the Patriots six…
11:47- Wise forced the fumble on the sack, but Ramon Foster recovered it to save the Steelers night. 2nd & Goal from the Patriots four…
11:04- Gain of four when he needed 4.5; 3rd & Goal from the one, and the Steelers are forced to call a timeout because the play clock was about to run out.
10:19- Incomplete pass, and the Steelers now face 4th & Goal; the Steelers are sending in the field goal team…
10:17- Field goal is good, and the Steelers are on the board. I understand wanting to at least make sure you get a score on the first drive of the half, but they were at the one. That is a time to be aggressive, especially on the road. Patriots 20, Steelers 3
8:55- Brady hits Izzo for a gain of five on 2nd & 15; 3rd & 10…
8:05- Touchdown, Patriots!! Blown coverage and Dorsett breaks free for the 58-yard touchdown. Dorsett may reap many rewards due to the ridiculous amount of weapons the Patriots possess. Patriots 27, Steelers 3
7:51- Connor with a gain of seven on the catch; 2nd & 3…
7:07- Connor with another catch and run for 15; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 47…
6:36- Smith-Schuster looked like he made a big play, but OPI is called and the ball will come all the way back to the Steelers 48…1st & 20…
5:36- We are now on a tape delay due to the fire alarm that just occurred where I am blogging from. Good pressure forces a bad throw for an incompletion; 3rd & 15…
5:27- Pass is incomplete, and the Steelers, who are 2-9 on 3rd down, are forced to punt. 4th & 15, and the ball is fair caught at the 10.
5:16- What appeared to be a fumble is a catch four yards; 2nd & 6…
4:25- Gordon with a catch for 43 yards, and the Patriots are in business again; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 42…
3:22- Seven yard run by Burkhead on 2nd & 5, and the Patriots have another 1st & 10…
2:52- Burkhead eludes two tacklers for an eleven yard gain, a gain that was ALL Burkhead. 1st & 10 from the Steelers 15…
2:05- Burkhead runs for three more; 2nd & 7 from the Steelers 12…
1:27- Two-yard gain on the run by Burkhead; 3rd & 5 from the Steelers 10…
:44- Brady gets sacked due to strong coverage, and Gostkowski will come on and attempt another field goal…
:16- Field goal is good! The Patriots extended their lead to 27, and the Steelers will now need a miracle to make a comeback tonight. New England is the better team, but Pittsburgh is talented and will figure this out. Patriots 30, Steelers 3
:07- Gain of seven for Smith-Schuster to end the 3rd, another quarter dominated by New England. Patriots 30, Steelers 3
FOURTH QUARTER
15:00- Gain of seven on the reception; 2nd & 3 from the Steelers 49…
13:48- Switzer for a gain of six; 1st & 10…
13:16- Jones with the PBU on what appeared to be a catch; 2nd & 10…
13:13- Another incomplete pass to Moncrief; 3rd & 10…timeout, Patriots.
13:08- Catch for three is not going to cut it, and the Steelers will go for it on 4th down. The Patriots defense has been downright awesome tonight. 4th & 10…
12:26- Incomplete pass and the Patriots continue to dominate the Steelers on both sides of the ball. Patriots 30, Steelers 3
12:03- Michel runs for three; 2nd & 7…
11:45- End-around to Edelman for 10 yards, and another 1st down for New England; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 44…
11:06- No gain; 2nd & 10….
10:34- Michel runs for a gain of three; 3rd & 7…
9:50- Edelman with the catch and run for 10, and the Patriots are set up at the Steelers 26; 1st & 10…
9:13- Burkhead runs for a gain of five, but it was called back for a hold on Wynn; 1st & 20…
8:54- Short pass to Burkhead for a gain of three; 2nd & 17…
8:21- Pass caught by Edelman, but it doesn’t matter because there was DPI on the play; 1st & 10 from the Steelers 25…
8:05- Michel runs for two on the toss right, and Marcus Cannon is down holding his arm in pain. That is not good. They have already lost one starting offensive linemen in David Andrews; losing their right tackle would be a killer.
7:46- Burkhead runs for a gain of six and picks up another 1st down; 1st & 10, Patriots…
7:12- Burkhead runs for three, but it is negated by a holding on Shaq Mason; 1st & 16…
6:47- Pass is behind Edelman and incomplete; 2nd & 16…
6:45- Brady almost gets killed on the blitz, but he got it out of there, although it was incomplete; 3rd & 16…
6:42- Pressure on Brady forces a bad throw to Edelman and the Patriots will attempt another field goal…
6:40- Field goal is good! The Patriots extend their lead to 30, and this game is now officially ugly. Patriots 33, Steelers 3
6:32- Connors runs for no gain; 2nd & 10…
6:04- “False start on every but the center” is one of the best lines ever; 2nd & 15…
5:37- Smith-Schuster for a gain of 20; 1st & 10…
4:28- Incomplete pass to Washington down the right sideline; 2nd & 10…
4:24- Terrible DPI called on JC Jackson; the Steelers pick up the 1st down…
4:17- Interception, Patriots! McCourty makes the play in the end zone, and the Patriots offense will take over and try to end this blowout.
4:14- No gain by Michel; 2nd & 10…
2:50- No gain on 3rd & 15, and the Patriots will punt…fair caught at the Steelers 45.
2:06- Gain of four on the play, but the flag on the play pushes Pittsburgh back 15; 2nd & 23…
2:00- Winovich takes down Smith-Schuster, who hobbled off the field. 3rd & 14…
1:14- McDonald with a gain of 17 on the catch; 1st & 10…
:42- Pass is dropped, incomplete; 3rd & 10…
:36- 4th & 2…
:33- Pass is complete for five; 1st & 10 from the Patriots 27…
:06- McDonald drops it, and the Steelers will run probably the final play of the night; 2nd & 10…Patriots called a weird timeout.
:00- Gain of 20, but the Steelers fail to score a touchdown in tonight’s blowout win for New England.
Thank you for joining us tonight in what turned out to be a perfect start to another title-defense in 2019. Don’t forget, this team will add Antonio Brown to the roster tomorrow, and Kyle Van Noy will return to the defense next week. This team is strong in all areas; one important thing to watch after this game- the health of Marcus Cannon. That is a huge underlying story in this game, and hopefully it doesn’t cost him a lot of time. Have a great week, and be sure to join us next Sunday when the Patriots take on the Dolphins in Miami. Goodnight, everyone!
FINAL SCORE: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 33, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 3
