Bailey Zappe and the Patriots picked up their third win of the season on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. (Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Bailey Zappe got the job done.
Zappe led the New England Patriots to a much-needed 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium. Zappe threw three touchdownsin the first half en route to the win, which marked just the Patriots’ third on the season. While Zappe and the Patriots’ offense looked solid, the Steelers — led by backup Mitch Trubisky after Kenny Pickett’s ankle injury — did not.
Trubisky and the Steelers struggled badly in the first half. The Patriots jumped up to a 21-3 lead thanks to a huge interception early in the second quarter and a pair of touchdowns to tight end Hunter Henry — which made him just the fifth player in the last 30 years to record at least two touchdowns while playing on his birthday.
The Steelers finally scored right before halftime after Trubisky hit Diontae Johnson for a 25-yard score.
Pittsburgh had plenty of chances in the second half, too, but failed to convert deep in the red zone in the fourth quarter after intercepting Zappe. Miles Killebrew blocked a Patriots punt in the fourth quarter, which set the Steelers up with great field position once again. That led to a Trubisky 1-yard touchdown run, which cut the game to just three points.
That, however, is as close as they got. Even with the Patriots’ offense stalling, Trubisky and the Steelers failed twice on fourth down. The Patriots edged out the three-point win.
Trubisky went 21-of-34 for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss for pittsburgh. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 30 yards and a score on eight carries. Johnson had 57 yards on three receptions.
Zappe went 19-of-28 for 240 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Patriots. Ezekiel Elliott had 68 yards on 22 carries, and JuJu Smith-Schuster had 90 yards on four carries.
The Steelers, though hanging on in the AFC playoff race, have now lost three of their last four — and two games in the last five days to teams with a combined 6-20 record. With Pickett out for at least a few more weeks, time may be running out to make a postseason push based on how their offense looked on Thursday night.
Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and highlights from the late NFL slate in Week 14.
Mike Tomlin gets plenty of praise. Rightfully so. He has had a great career.
But when, in a five-day stretch, you lose to two teams that are 4-20 against the rest of the NFL, you deserve all the criticism. https://t.co/20oHV5xu9f
From @ESPNStatsInfo: Hunter Henry is the 5th player over last 30 seasons w/ 2 receiving TDs on his birthday. DeVonta Smith ('21 vs. Broncos), Jimmy Graham ('14 vs. Ravens), Terrell Owens ('03 vs. Cards), Isaac Bruce ('02 vs. Chargers).
Make that three touchdown passes for Zappe now and two TD catches for birthday boy Hunter Henry.
21-3 Patriots.
Sean Leahy
On the other side is Bailey Zappe, who is 9-for-15 for 116 yards with two touchdowns through a quarter and a half.
Sean Leahy
I think they need to go to Mason Rudolph and do it now. I realize Rudolph isn't the answer but Trubisky is absolutely shook. This is bad, bad football.
Steelers QB Mitch Trubisky is 3-for-7 for 19 yards with 1 interception. The Acrisure Stadium crowd has been displeased with his performance so far.
Sean Leahy
From @ESPNStatsInfo: After the Bailey Zappe-to-Hunter Henry TD pass, the Patriots' 14 points is tied for their most in a 1st half this season (Week 1 vs PHI and Week 9 vs WAS).
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