Offense hasn’t been easy to come by in Sunday’s matchup between the Steelers and Patriots. But the teams have now traded touchdowns and New England leads 17-14.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones should have been intercepted by cornerback Cameron Sutton on third-and-9 from the New England 43. Jones threw an ill-advised pass to his left and Sutton was there and got his hands on the ball but dropped it.
So instead of having a possession start in New England territory, Pittsburgh was slated to field a punt. But that didn’t work either, as returner Gunner Olszewski muffed the catch. The ball ricocheted off his helmet and New England defensive back Brenden Schooler was there to recover it at the Pittsburgh 20.
An unnecessary roughness penalty put the Patriots on the 10.
A few plays later, running back Damien Harris scored a 2-yard touchdown to give New England a 17-6 lead.
The Steelers drove right down the field to score their first touchdown of the game, with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky hooking up with tight end Pat Freiermuth for an 8-yard touchdown. Then receiver Diontae Johnson made an outstanding diving catch in the end zone, getting an elbow and knee down to complete a two-point conversion and make the score 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots have been without safety Kyle Dugger, who is questionable to return with a knee injury. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley is also questionable to return with a back injury.