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New England Patriots (5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Official Pats Pulpit Game Thread
Steelers' Coverage: Behind The Steel Curtain
This definitely feels like the type of game where the Patriots should be down a lot more than seven at halftime. The Patriots have been out-played and out-coached on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, the Patriots continue to play off the line in coverage while bringing extra blitzers to create pressure. While the Patriots have picked up a couple of sacks on Steelers quarterback, the pressure really wasn't consistent enough and the soft coverage allowed Ben Roethlisberger to complete easy throw after easy throw.
On offense, the Patriots have also had their fair share of struggles. The play of Kevin Faulk and Rob Gronkowski has been notable, but the Steelers are doing a good job jamming Patriots receivers at the line, and creating pressure while keeping extra defenders in coverage. The Patriots only success running the ball has been on Kevin Faulk change of pace carries.
Overall, the Patriots should really be satisfied that they are only down seven points. They get the ball to start the second half and will have a chance to tie the game. I still don't feel optimistic about this game, but the team has found a way to stick around, and you've got to give them credit for that considering how terribly they have been playing.
The Patriots have some serious adjustments to make on both sides of the ball, so we'll just have to wait and see how they come out in the second half before jumping to any conclusions about this game.