New England Patriots Survive Pittsburgh Steelers' Rally For Upset Win

The New England Patriots went cold in the second half, but still held on for a 21-18 win and just their third victory of the season.

Even after their best offensive performance of the season in the first half of Thursday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots couldn't make it easy on themselves.

Despite the Patriots jumping out to an 18-point lead in the middle of the second quarter, the game still went down to the wire as New England held on for a 21-18 primetime victory.

The first half provided Patriots fans with a glimpse of what they've been missing all season and possibly beyond: an efficient offense. Fresh off a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Bailey Zappe and co. diced up the normally-stifling Steelers defense for 21 points in the first half, their most in a half all season.

Zappe surveys the field during Thursday's game / Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA

In the second half, though, the offense went cold, unable to add onto the lead at all. The situation looked bleak when Pittsburgh blocked a punt and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to three, but New England was able to hold on just barely. 

Through it all, though, the Patriots' defense delivered another great performance, holding the Steelers to just 218 total yards. The defensive highlight of the night came when Jabrill Peppers picked off Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky, setting the Patriots up in the red zone and leading to their second. touchdown of the night.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 68 yards on 22 carries, but his most notable contribution was as a receiver with 72 receptions and a touchdown on seven catches. Former Steeler JuJu Smith-Schuster had his best game as a Patriot with four receptions for 90 yards, while Hunter Henry added two touchdowns on his birthday.

While the win is a much-needed relief for the now 3-10 Patriots, it does come with the cost of hurting their draft stock and giving the Chicago Bears (via the Carolina Panthers) a two-game lead for the No. 1 overall pick.

After their third win of the season, the Patriots get ready to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 17.

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