Patriots vs. Steelers: 2010 Review

As the Patriots prepare to travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in a match-up that will feature the two best records in the AFC, lets take a quick look back at some of the things that the Patriots were able to do effectively in their 39-26 victory last season:

Patriots Find a Way to Run

Heading into the match-up last year, the Steelers had by far the NFL's best run defense (heading into the game, the longest run given up by the Steelers was 14 yards). However, the Patriots ran a multitude of stacked two-tight end sets with Alge Crumpler essentially used as an extra tackle. Green-Ellis picked up 87 total yards with 66 of them coming in the second half. What does this mean for this Sunday? While the Steelers are only 12th in the league in rush defense, I expect the Patriots to use Nate Solder as an extra blocking tight end (if Vollmer is healthy) and pound the ball down the Steelers throats once again.

Passing Offense Clicks on All Levels: Brady, Gronkowski, and Protection.

Rob Gronkowski had a coming out day of sorts, snagging in five catches for 72 yards and three touchdowns following his worst professional game the week before against the Browns. Tom Brady was instrumental in what I described at the time as a "defining" victory for the Patriots club. Here's what I wrote last November:

On offense, the Patriots had their best overall performance of the year. Tom Brady had his best game of the year, much of the credit due to the pass protection, which was nearly flawless. With all day to throw, Brady was patient and consistently found the holes in the defense. In addition, Brady also looked down field. Instead of looking for a lot of throws in the 5-7 yard area, Brady first looked to the 11-20+ area, and actually took some shots down the field (one of which resulted in a big completion to receiver Brandon Tate).



http://www.patspulpit.com/2011/10/26/2514300/patriots-vs-steelers-2010-review

i fucking hate the patriots