The New England Patriots jumped out to an early lead, then rode both tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back LeGarrette Blount throughout the second half to coast to a  27-16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. 

GRONKing & Rolling- In the first half, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was used a lot as a blocker and limited to just one reception for 13 yards in the passing game. The second half was a far different story, however, as the All-Pro began to make the impact many suspected he would, heading into the match up. Over the final two quarters, Gronk snagged 3 catches for 80 yards, including 36-yard reception up the seem to extend the team's lead to 20-13 in the third quarter and tie the franchise's receiving touchdowns record. The tight end followed that scoring play up with a 37-yard reception on the team's next drive, which set up a five-yard rushing touchdown for running back LeGarrette Blount. Gronkowski also paved the way for Blount on the scoring lay, with an impressive clear out block that left the left side of the field wide open. All in all, Gronk's presence was felt all game long, both in the air and on the ground.

Big Day For Blount- Power running back LeGarrette Blount carried the load out of the backfield for New England, all game long. The bulky back got some solid blocking from Gronkowski, the offensive line and other specialists throughout the day and was able to consistently move the ball up the field for the Pats offense. On the day, Blount carried the ball 24 times for 127 yards and two scores. He now has eight touchdowns on the season, which is already a career-high.

Getting Back To Normal- After a few somewhat uncharacteristic games, Pats wide out Julian Edelman seemed to get back on track Sunday. The slot receiver caught nine of quarterback Tom Brady's 19 total completions for 60 yards and tortured Pittsburgh linebacker Lawrence Timmons underneath the coverage all game long. While he looked much better, Edelman did have one drop on third down that killed a late first half drive and then fumbled a punt in the fourth that ended up not costing the team. All in all it was a much more Edelman-like game for the shifty slot option.

Making Stops On 3rd Down- The Patriots defense, which has struggled to get off the field on third downs all season long, took advantage of a somewhat beleaguered Steelers offense. On the day, the New England defense held Pittsburgh to just 5-16 on third down and looked pretty impressive in that regard. Of course, New England was lucky to avoid Roethlisberger and got a couple of breaks on poorly thrown passes by backup Landry Jones, but all in all it was a step in the right direction for the defense.

Bending But Not Breaking- The Pats defense not only excelled on third down, but also was dominant in the red area throughout the game. Pittsburgh entered the red zone four times in the game, but managed to convert on just one of those trips. For comparison, the New England offense was a perfect three of three against the Pittsburgh defense. The New England defense got helped out by poor decisions by Jones, again, but still put up an impressive showing in that area of the field.

A Serious Case Of The Yips- It should now be a real concern to Pats Nation, that New England kicker Stephen Gostkowski is just not right so far this season. Entering the game with four combined missed kicks on the season, Gostkowski pushed his third point after touchdown attempt of the game wide right. Gostkowski has now missed either a field goal or PAT in each of the team's last three games and has missed three of his last 22 extra point attempts. It is getting to the point, where everyone seems to be holding their breath every time he takes the field.

Lose The Turnover Battle, Win The Game- For the second time this season, the Pats managed to lose the turnover battle yet still win the game. New England had two lost fumbles on the day, while Malcolm Butler recorded the team's only takeaway with an interception in the end zone in the first quarter.

All in all, the win wasn't as explosive as many thought it would be heading into the game. The team did, however, battle a tough opponent on the road and come out with a somewhat dominant win. Next week, the Pats have a chance to really take a stranglehold on the AFC East, as they head to Buffalo to seek redemption for their only loss of the season thus far.

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