Zappe, Patriots upset Steelers on TNF (2024)

Breaking: Patriots hire Jerod Mayo

By Chad Graff, Mark Kaboly and Mike DeFabo

Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe threw three touchdown passes in the first half of Thursday night’s game as New England held on for a 21-18 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Patriots led 21-10 at the half but the Steelers were able to pull within three points thanks to a second-half shutout by the Steelers’ defense and a Mitch Trubisky touchdown run.

New England picked up their third victory of the season. Per the Amazon broadcast, the Steelers became the first team in NFL history to be over .500 and lose consecutive games to teams that were at least eight games under .500.

Zappe connected with Ezekiel Elliott once and Hunter Henry twice for scores through the first two quarters. Pittsburgh’s offense — which was booed by fans — struggled with just one touchdown by Diontae Johnson before the half.

Zappe finished 19-of-28 passing for 240 yards, the three touchdowns and an interception. Elliott caught seven passes for 72 yards and added 68 yards rushing.

The result marks a surprising turnaround for the Patriots (3-10), who lost their last five games and sit last in the AFC East. The Steelers (7-6) drop to third in the AFC North.

Zappe does his job as Patriots hold on

The second-half slump put a damper on what was otherwise a really solid game for Zappe. In his second start of the season, Zappe completed 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He made some plays that the Patriots haven’t seen from their quarterback all season. But the second half did offer a reminder that there are limitations. The team didn’t score in the second half and had only one drive that gained more than 20 yards. Still, the first half was good enough that the Patriots will head into a long weekend with plenty to build off. — Chad Graff, Patriots staff writer

Patriots defense key after offense slows

The Patriots put so much on the plate of their defense. The special teams was again bad, having a punt blocked. Their offense was in a major rut in the second half. The defense faced poor field position. But once again, the Patriots’ defense stepped up when it needed to and got key stops against Trubisky and the Steelers. It’s hard to play this kind of football long-term, but for the rest of this season, it’s how the Pats have to try to win. Just keep hoping their defense can keep playing like this. — Graff

Steelers fall short in comeback attempt

You have to give the Steelers a lot of credit for digging their way out of a big hole to start the game but they also deserve a lot of criticism for allowing the Patriots to move up and down the field on them, to the tune of a 21-3 lead. Having the ball with 2:44 left in the game and having a chance to tie it or win it was something that nobody saw coming in the first half.

With Kenny Pickett out, it took a while for Trubisky to get comfortable and that’s understandable. Still, it got so bad in the first half that the 66,000 fans at Acrisure Stadium were calling for backup Mason Rudolph to enter the game. The offense picked up steam when the Steelers figured out that Trubisky should throw horizontally instead of vertically. Unfortunately for the Steelers, Trubisky was forced to throw the ball down the field on three of his last four throws during the potential game-winning/tying drive. — Mark Kaboly, Steelers senior writer

Pittsburgh’s defense a concern

The Steelers’ defense entered Thursday night as the NFL’s second-best scoring defense (19.0 points per game) and appeared primed for a big night against a floundering Patriots offense. However, the numerous injuries at key positions were costly early. The Patriots targeted a depleted inside linebacker corps on their first touchdown, when running back Elliott beat reserve linebacker Mykal Walker in the flat. Later, Zappe picked on nickel Chandon Sullivan, who had lost his job until Elijah Riley went down with injury, for an 11-yard touchdown to tight end Henry.

While the Steelers’ defense regrouped in the second half, the 21 first-half points the Patriots scored with a backup quarterback should be concerning. The Steelers have leaned on their defense to create splash plays and keep their struggling offense in games this year. If they can’t shut down one of the worst offenses in the league, it doesn’t bode well going forward. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers staff writer

Highlight of the game

Zappe to the TE for a second time on TNF!@baileyzappe04 | @Hunter_Henry84

📺: #NEvsPIT on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/uRhLWtWcn2

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 8, 2023

Required reading

• Patriots vs. Steelers live score updates on Thursday Night Football
• Fire Bill Belichick or retain him? What if Patriots had another option? Let’s talk trades
• NFL Week 14 playoff standings and projections: Which teams have best chance to make postseason?

(Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)