After being shutout last week by the Los Angeles Chargers, the New England Patriots learned how to win a football game again, as they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 on Thursday Night Football. 

Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe was feeling himself in the first half as he made the offense look functional against the Steelers. Zappe led the Patriots 75 yards downfield in 10 plays to score their first touchdown on their first drive this season. Zappe found running back Ezekiel Elliott for an 11-yard touchdown that gave them an early lead. 

“[The confidence] comes from my teammates, they helped me out a lot,” Zappe said about where his confidence comes from. “They deserved today, so to be able to have this moment with these guys and have the game that we had, it’s awesome”

After the Steelers tacked on a field goal and exchanged punts for a while, Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers intercepted Steelers quarterback Mitchel Trubisky’s pass at the start of the second quarter, setting up the Patriots in good field position. Zappe would find tight end Hunter Henry in the end zone extending the Patriots lead to 11.

Following another change of possession, Zappe found Henry again with a beautiful pass for the touchdown. Henry was double covered, but Zappe was able to throw a perfect pass into Henry’s hands for the touchdown. In celebration of his 29th birthday, Henry caught three passes for 40 yards and two touchdowns.

“Let’s get into the end zone today, [because] It’s my birthday,” Henry said. “Starting fast was big, it built confidence for us, and we were able to take advantage of things in the first half.”

The Steelers would score a touchdown at the end of the second quarter, making it a 21-10  game going into halftime. The third quarter was nothing to get excited about until the end of the quarter, when Zappe’s pass to receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was broken up into the hands of Steelers linebacker Mykal Walker. With good field position, the Steelers failed to put any points on the board, turning the ball over on downs.

However, the Steelers’ special teams group came up big blocking the Patriots punt, setting them up again with good field position. This time, the Steelers were able to put points on the board, with Trubisky rushing up the middle for a touchdown. After converting the two-point try, the 18-point lead the Patriots had was down to three with plenty of time remaining. Luckily, the Patriots defense was able to stop the Steelers’ momentum and hold on for the win.

Zappe earns his third career win as a starter, doing enough to get the Patriots the win. Zappe finished with 240 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. While the second half was a disappointing performance by the offense, the first half gave excitement for Patriots fans, seeing that their team does know how to run an offense. 

The Patriots were without many key players on offense, particularly running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who was injured on Sunday against the Chargers. Elliott took the ropes as the Patriots lead running back and had a great game. Elliot rushed for 68 yards, had 72 receiving yards and scored a touchdown. Another player who had a great game was Smith-Schuster. He may not have scored a touchdown, but Smith-Schuster made many great plays in the first half. He had four catches for 90 yards, the most he’s had this season in his best game as a Patriot.

Trubisky finished with 190 yards, one touchdown and an interception. It was a tale of two halves for Trubisky. The first half he was horrible with Steelers fans booing him off the field and asking for him to be benched. However, Trubisky found his groove in the second half, almost pulling off the comeback.

“You have fun by winning,” said Patriots center David Andrews. “I look back at the years I had the most fun were the years we were most successful. That’s what fun is in this league to me, is winning.”

With the win, the Patriots now sit at 3-10, and while many fans wanted them to lose for a better draft position. The Patriots still hold the number two pick, despite winning the game. The Patriots now have 10 days to prepare for the Super Bowl champ Kansas City Chiefs, as they come to Foxborough next Sunday.