With the sport on the road, the Patriots didn’t get too fancy. They went with their fastball.
At least, that’s what heart David Andrews known as their run sport final week.
And clinging to a three-point lead, the heater was signaled by play-caller Matt Patricia and it obtained the job achieved to shut out the 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was a formidable ultimate drive with the Patriots, taking up at their 30-yard-line with 6:33 to play. And then managing to expire the clock with out the Steelers getting the ball again.
They held onto the soccer for 13 performs, with just one go within the combine. They transformed a Third-and-2, and a Third-and-3 earlier than kneeling on the ultimate three performs.
Toward the top, Damien Harris gained 9 yards on a 2nd-and-12 from the Steelers 29, then transformed the ultimate three yards with a five-yard achieve to mainly shut it out.
On each of these performs, Harris ran behind left deal with Trent Brown, with the Patriots successfully using the surface zone scheme for the primary time within the sport.
“It was good that offensively, we could end the game with the ball in our hands,” mentioned Harris. “Not give it again to them, working out the clock with us mixing in some runs, some passes. Whatever the performs had been, it was about execution.
“In these tough games, these critical situations, hostile environments, that’s what it comes down to, good fundamentals and good execution. We put that on display, and we were able to close out the game.”
The Steelers, after all, knew they had been going to attempt to run out the clock on the bottom. And the Patriots nonetheless managed to run successfully and transfer the sticks.
“It felt good to finish the game that way, and then come out of here with a ‘W’,” mentioned Andrews.
Much credit score goes to the offensive line. It hasn’t been one of the best few months month for the road, attempting to be taught a brand new scheme, new terminology, then with the season beginning, conserving Mac Jones clear towards a few blitz-happy groups.
But they managed to get it collectively towards the Steelers.
“They show up to work every single day, and they just continue to improve,” Harris mentioned of the road. “As they go, the remainder of our offense goes.
“Huge shout-out to those guys today. They blocked their tails off in the run game, the pass game, and they made our jobs a lot easier.”
The line was additionally instrumental in making an enormous push ahead to get Harris throughout the purpose line on a third-and-goal from the two-yard-line to offer the Patriots a 17-6 lead within the third quarter.
After the Steelers scored to attract nearer, the Patriots wanted to kill clock late within the fourth quarter with hopes of ending it off.
As Nelson Agholor identified, the Patriots didn’t have essentially the most success closing out video games final yr.
“It’s part of the winning formula. You want to finish with the ball,” mentioned the wideout. “If you talk about last year, four-minute drives weren’t in our favor. But we won the four-minute drive at the end of the game, milking the clock, finishing with the ball, being in victory formation. That’s important.”
The hope for the Patriots, is that having the ability to win on the bottom with the sport on the road will function a lift going ahead.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction. Obviously, we’re still not where we want to be,” mentioned Harris. “We have a very long time earlier than we get there, however closing the sport out like that, having the ability to finish the sport with the ball in our arms as an offense, is a large confidence booster and that’s simply one other step we are able to take going into the following week.
“The way we finished the game, it’s a good stepping-stone in the right direction of continuing to become the team we want to be.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com