New England Patriots team grades vs Pittsburgh Steelers Week 15

The Patriots pass defense caught a huge break with Antonio Brown suffering an injury early in the game. While the Patriots picked up the victory, the passing defense didn’t help the cause much.

Even without his potential MVP, Ben Roethlisberger was able to pick the Patriots apart throughout the game. Roethlisberger completed 22-of-30 passes for 281 yards. He added two touchdowns, but a back-breaking interception.

Roethlisberger’s interception came in the waning seconds as his fake spike didn’t go as planned. He forced a ball to Eli Rogers, it was deflected and intercepted by Duron Harmon. That came after Jesse James’ reception was nullified upon review.

That interception made this grade what it is. Had Roethlisberger led the team to victory and had three touchdowns to zero interceptions, the Patriots pass defense would have had a failing for the second consecutive week.

With Brown sidelined, Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster stepped up. Smith-Schuster led the team with six receptions for 114 yards. His long catch and run set the Steelers up on the last drive, something that was reminiscent of a play Brown would make. Bryant caught four passes for 59 yards and an impressive one-handed touchdown.

Le’Veon Bell was the other impact receiver. He caught five passes for 48 yards. Rogers caught Roethlisberger’s other touchdown pass.