With Belichick, though, Peppers has become one of the best safeties in the league, a hard-hitting enforcer who quickly became a locker-room leader.

The 28-year-old came to the Patriots a year and a half ago as a forgotten former star, a 2017 first-round pick on his third team in five years and coming off an injury. Jabrill Peppers grew frustrated when he heard them asked.

Those were the questions that have been swirling throughout New England and have made their way into the locker room. If the team continues to crater, will he return in 2024? If he departed, would it be via some sort of mutual agreement, an outright firing or a trade? So, yeah, there has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks about Bill Belichick’s job status. The franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since Tom Brady left. Instead, Pittsburgh spotted New England three first-half touchdowns, and its floundering offense was never able to make up the distance in a 21-18 letdown. 5.īut what should have happened never did. And by the time the scoreboard dimmed and “Renegade” played in the fourth quarter, the Steelers should have been celebrating a lockdown performance against an offense that hadn’t topped seven points in a game since Nov. Coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin should have devised a scheme to expose Bailey Zappe for what he is: a backup quarterback. Watt and the potent pass rush should have feasted on an offensive line that ranks near the bottom of the league in every protection stat. It should have been the perfect get-right game for the Steelers. The Patriots’ offense has fluctuated between haphazard and humiliating, with revered coach Bill Belichick putting himself on the hot seat by proving unable to figure out which quarterback (or how many) to play. The opponent? A case study in what happens when a Hall of Fame quarterback moves on without a succession plan. Pittsburgh’s defense entered the game ranked sixth in scoring, allowing just 19.1 points per game, and was climbing its way into the elite conversation. Styx’s presence should have been just another way of setting the stage for a dominant defensive performance. After a rousing ovation from the crowd - one that was even more emphatic than any player got during pregame introductions moments earlier - they stepped to midfield to sing the national anthem. The band that wrote “Renegade,” the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive anthem, was on hand for Thursday Night Football. The Terrible Towels twirled as Styx blared through the crisp December air at Acrisure Stadium - a familiar fourth-quarter feeling on the city’s North Shore.īut this time, with one significant difference. 500 team in NFL history to lose consecutive games, both to teams at least eight games under. The Steelers (7-6) lost to a 10-loss team for the second consecutive week.Īccording to the Amazon broadcast, the Steelers are the first over. The Patriots (3-10) won for the first time since Oct. 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. They scored 15 consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 21-18 when Trubisky ran for a 1-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. 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. But New England held on against a Pittsburgh offense that struggled to gain traction all game. The second half was a different story: The Patriots gained just 69 yards on 22 plays and ran just three plays in Steelers territory. 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. 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. 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.

Deisim update 2021