Bailey Zappe threw three first-half touchdowns and the New England Patriots' defense did enough in the second half to preserve a 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, snapping a five-game losing streak while damaging Pittsburgh's playoff hopes.
New England, which was shut out in a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last week, scored a touchdown on its opening drive and looked unexpectedly efficient on offense early. Zappe, making his second consecutive start, threw one touchdown to Ezekiel Elliott and two to Hunter Henry as the Patriots built a 21-3 lead.
The second half was a different story: The Patriots gained just 69 yards on 22 plays and ran just three plays in Steelers territory. But New England held on against a Pittsburgh offense that struggled to gain traction all game.
The Steelers, starting backup Mitch Trubisky, were just 3-of-14 on third down and had just one play of more than 20 yards until the final possession. They scored 15 consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 21-18 when Trubisky ran for a 1-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. But on two drives where the Steelers could have tied or won the game, they went just 35 yards on 13 plays, punting once and turning the ball over on downs.
The Patriots (3-10) won for the first time since Oct. 22. The Steelers (7-6) lost to a 10-loss team for the second consecutive week.
According to the Amazon broadcast, the Steelers are the first over .500 team in NFL history to lose consecutive games, both to teams at least eight games under .500.
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