Steelers get a win in New England: Analysis by Tim Benz

LIVE SPORTS COLUMNIST TIM BENZ TO BREAK DOWN TODAY’S STEELER VICTORY AT NEW ENGLAND. THEIR FIRST WIN IN GILLETTE STADIUM SINCE 2008. TIM MIKE TOMLIN WAS 1 IN 5 THERE BEFORE. WHAT WENT INTO THIS VICTORY? I THINK THE BIGGEST THING WAS THE RED ZONE PLAY. THE STEELERS WERE REALLY GOOD IN THE RED ZONE. OFFENSIVELY. SOMETIMES A STRUGGLE TO GET THERE, BUT THERE WERE THREE OF THREE ON OFFENSE. ONCE THEY GOT DEEP INTO THE PATRIOTS RED ZONE. AND THEN ON DEFENSE THEY CREATED TWO RED ZONE TURNOVERS. THEY HAD THE STRIP OF RHAMONDRE STEVENSON AND OF COURSE THE DEFLECTION BY CAMERON HEYWARD ON A PASS BY DRAKE MAYE THAT TURNED INTO A BRANDIN ECHOLS INTERCEPTION. I THOUGHT THOSE FIVE POSSESSIONS SWUNG THE MATCH TODAY. NOW STEELER NATION HAS HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE DEFENSE, MOST OF IT NOT GOOD OVER THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE YEAR. BUT TODAY, SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT. THE PASS RUSH AT LEAST. I THOUGHT THE PASS RUSH WAS GOOD. FIVE SACKS OF DRAKE MAYE IS A MOBILE QUARTERBACK, EIGHT QUARTERBACK HITS, AND ACTUALLY I DON’T THINK THE STATS TOLD THE WHOLE STORY THERE. I THOUGHT THE PASS RUSH WAS EVEN BETTER THAN WHAT THE NUMBERS SAID. I THOUGHT THEY AFFECTED MAYE. I THOUGHT HE SCRAMBLED AT TIMES WHERE MAYBE MORE SEASONED QUARTERBACK OR QUARTERBACK THAT WASN’T UNDER AS MUCH INTENSE HEAT WOULD HAVE HUNG IN THERE AND LOOKED FOR DEEPER PLAYS DOWN THE FIELD. SO I DID LIKE THE PASS RUSH TODAY. CAM HEYWARD, T.J. WATT FOR ALL THE GUFF THEY’VE TAKEN FOR NOT LIVING UP TO THEIR CONTRACT SO FAR THIS YEAR, I THOUGHT THEY BOTH HAD IMPACTFUL GAMES. NOW THE DEFENSE WAS GOOD, BUT YOU THINK IT COULD BE BETTER FOR SURE. I THOUGHT THE CONVERSION DOWNS WERE A POINT OF EMPHASIS THAT MIKE TOMLIN TALKED ABOUT IN POST GAME. HE’LL CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT ALL WEEK. I’M SURE. THEY ALLOWED SIX THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS. ALSO, THE PATRIOTS CONVERTED FOUR FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS BEFORE THE STEELERS FINALLY STOPPED THEM ON THAT CRUCIAL ONE. I DON’T KNOW WHY THEY RAN A HOOK UNDERNEATH THE FIRST DOWN MARKER. THE PATRIOTS THREW SHORT OF THE STICKS AND A FOURTH AND ONE. I THOUGHT MATT CANADA HAD BECOME THE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR THE PATRIOTS OUT OF NOWHERE THERE. BUT SO THE THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS WERE A BIG THING. AND THIS DOVETAILS TO THE SECOND POINT. THE TIGHT END HUNTER HENRY. THERE’S THIS FLASHBACK THEME THAT CBS WAS DOING DURING THE BROADCAST. YOU WANT A FLASHBACK? I WAS HAVING FLASHBACKS TO ROB GRONKOWSKI GOUGING THE STEELERS AT GILLETTE STADIUM. I WAS USED TO SEEING THAT OUT OF TIGHT ENDS, NOT LIKE HUNTER HENRY. THAT LOOKED LIKE GRONK OUT THERE TODAY. YOU REALLY WANT TO THROW IT BACK. HOW ABOUT BEN COATES OR MAYBE EVEN RUSS FRANCIS. THAT’S RIGHT. YEAH. THE OLD TIGHT ENDS FROM THE PATRIOTS AND THOSE UNIS. YES. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE STEELER OFFENSE NOW. GOT THE JOB DONE EARLY AND VERY LATE IN THE CONTEST. BUT NOT ONE FIRST DOWN IN THE THIRD QUARTER. YEAH I THOUGHT TO YOUR POINT THEY WERE GOOD ON THE FIRST TWO DRIVES. THEY GOT SOME HELP ON SOME PENALTIES THAT WERE 5050. BUT THEY GOT SOME HELP. THE LAST DRIVE WAS REALLY GOOD. THEY GOT IT WHEN THEY NEEDED IT. BUT IN BETWEEN ANDREW, LIKE THIS PASSING GAME FOR INSTANCE, THERE’S MORE TO BE TAPPED THERE ISN’T THERE. WE JUST GOT DONE TALKING ABOUT TIGHT ENDS FOR THE PATRIOTS. THE STEELERS THEY RUN FOUR TIGHT ENDS I THINK THEY COMBINED FOR FOUR CATCHES IN LIKE 29 YARDS. THE LEADING RECEIVER FOR THE STEELERS YOU KNOW AS FAR AS PASS CATCHERS GO. JALEN WARREN AGAIN YOU KNOW SO THEY NEED THEY’RE SPREADING THE BALL AROUND. THEY NEED MORE IMPACT PLAYS FROM THEIR WIDE RECEIVERS. AND I THINK RUNNING THE FOOTBALL WARREN HAD 47 YARDS TO LEAD THE WAY. AGAIN. THERE WAS A LOT OF HIM ON THE FIRST DRIVE A LOT OF THEM ON THE LAST DRIVE. I WANT TO SEE MORE EFFECTIVE RUNS IN BETWEEN. I THINK YOU SAID 2.6 YARDS PER CARRY. THERE’S MORE TO BE TAPPED THERE. OKAY. THE STEELERS ARE IN IRELAND NEXT SUNDAY. THEY’RE GOING TO TAKE ON THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS A GAME YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE ON WTAE CHANNEL FOUR. I’LL BE THERE. SO WATCH MY LIVE REPORTS HERE ON PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR STARTING ON TUESDAY. HE’S TIM BEN

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots 21-14 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.It was the Steelers’ first victory at New England since 2008. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin had been 1-5 in Foxborough before Sunday.TribLive sports columnist Tim Benz joined Pittsburgh’s Action Sports to talk about how the black and gold were able to come home from Massachusetts with a win.Watch the video above

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New England Patriots 21-14 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

It was the Steelers’ first victory at New England since 2008. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin had been 1-5 in Foxborough before Sunday.

TribLive sports columnist Tim Benz joined Pittsburgh’s Action Sports to talk about how the black and gold were able to come home from Massachusetts with a win.

Watch the video above