Not much more to add after the first half synopsis…
Surrendering 17 completed passes in the first half to Ben Roethlisberger, I’m still thinking that the Patriots defense has done what they wanted to do with the Steelers offense. I felt going in that so long as they were able to control the line of scrimmage, minimizing whatever damage could be done by the running game, they’d allow Big Ben to dink and dunk all night long while blanketing coverage on downfield threats.
The late second quarter drive that resulted in a Steelers field goal was a real kick in the shorts. They needed a touchdown on that drive in my mind, particularly since they didn’t come out strong to start the second half.
In the second half, it was much of the same. Tom Brady’s lackluster effort last week against Houston clearly had more to do with an aggressive pass rush than anything else. The rust was clearly gone tonight, passing for nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns, which included a pair of 100-yard receivers and completions to nine different players.
This loss tonight isn’t to be blamed on Roethlisberger at all. The early injury to LeVeon Bell was a big factor, as well as some key drops in the first half, but Big Ben was still trying to carve out plays in the game’s waning moments, including a late touchdown which likely satisfied quite a few over/under bettors around the country.
Early thoughts on the Super Bowl are intriguing ones. The league’s most prolific offense against the league’s most prolific scoring defense. The experience of Bill Belichick against the youth and streaky play of Dan Quinn and his crew.
We’ll have plenty of analysis in the next two weeks leading up Westwood One’s live coverage of Super Bowl 51. Tune in to First Sports for all the latest.