The Patriots had trouble on the defensive side of the ball adjusting to life without the top three cornerbacks from last year's Super Bowl winning squad, but Tom Brady's excellence and a huge game from star TE Rob Gronkowski led the Champions to victory.
Tom Brady went 25-32 for 288 yards and 4 TDs with no interceptions. He was in complete control, hitting Gronk for three TDs. The offense looked like it couldn't be stopped and could have scored more if Pitt had kept the game closer in the fourth quarter. However, Big Ben threw a key interception to seal the win for the Patriots.
The Patriots Defense looked terrible at times, though made just enough stops to win. The run D was awful, getting shredded by back-up Williams, with star Bell out due to suspension. Hard to imagine how bad it would have been if Bell played. Mayo is just working back from IR, so perhaps he'll round into better shape. However, overall - the D will have to play better if the Patriots have hopes to be in contention this year.
Tom Brady went 25-32 for 288 yards and 4 TDs with no interceptions. He was in complete control, hitting Gronk for three TDs. The offense looked like it couldn't be stopped and could have scored more if Pitt had kept the game closer in the fourth quarter. However, Big Ben threw a key interception to seal the win for the Patriots.
The Patriots Defense looked terrible at times, though made just enough stops to win. The run D was awful, getting shredded by back-up Williams, with star Bell out due to suspension. Hard to imagine how bad it would have been if Bell played. Mayo is just working back from IR, so perhaps he'll round into better shape. However, overall - the D will have to play better if the Patriots have hopes to be in contention this year.