Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your Monday. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
For the second straight week, there's a lot to unpack from a Patriots' last-minute road loss.
--We'll have more over the next few days, but as Greg notes in his column (more on that in a second), the Steelers kept trying to give this one away. However, New England never seemed to be able to take command. There were plenty of times where Pittsburgh went all Pittsburgh, but the Patriots couldn't take the game and run with it.
--The defense wasn't great -- Danny Shelton needs to be playing right now -- but it was certainly better prepared (and played better from start to finish) than the offense. I'm trying to think of a single offensive guy who went above and beyond Sunday afternoon. Maybe James White? (If you include his special teams contribution, Rex Burkhead?) Rob Gronkowski was busy helping Marcus Cannon try and hold back T.J. Watt. The offensive line, which has been so sturdy for most of the year, had one of its worst performances of the season. I'd think about adding Julian Edelman to the mix, but he had a pair of penalties and a drop of his own.
--Ultimately, for the second straight game, the Patriots' offense left all sorts of opportunities on the field. The film session Monday at Gillette is going to be brutal.
--So what now? Win out and hope the Texans lose to a suddenly feisty Eagles' team next week. That'll give you an 11-5 record, the No. 2 seed, and guarantee a home divisional playoff game. It's the most palatable scenario for a team that simply can't seem to generate any sort of consistent offense on the road this season.
--A quickie snapshot of where the AFC playoff chase stands as of Monday (we’ll have a more detailed look Tuesday morning):
1. Chiefs (11-3)
Remaining schedule: at Seahawks (8-6), vs. Raiders (3-11)
Opponents record: 11-17 (.393)
2. Texans (10-4)
Remaining schedule: at Eagles (7-7), vs. Jags (4-10)
Opponents record: 11-17 (.359)
3. Patriots (9-5)
Remaining schedule: vs. Bills (5-9), vs. Jets (4-10)
Opponents record: 9-19 (.321)
4. Steelers (8-5-1)
Remaining schedule: at Saints (11-2 — playing Monday night), vs. Bengals (6-8)
Opponents record: 17-10 (.630)
5. Chargers (11-3)
Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens (8-6), at Broncos (6-8)
Opponents record: 14-14 (.500)
6. Ravens (8-6)
Remaining schedule: at Chargers (11-3), vs. Browns (6-7-1)
Opponents record: 17-10-1 (.625)
Monday’s Schedule
2:45 p.m.: Conference call with Bill Belichick
3:30-4:15 p.m.: Approximate time for player availability (locker room)
Now, on with the links...
1. Greg's column takes a look at a game the Steelers kept trying to give to the Patriots.
2. The oft-imitated, never-duplicated BSJ Game Report provides everything you need to know, in quickie form.
3. Stephon Gilmore didn't hold back in his assessment of Antonio Brown after Sunday's game. Gilmore told me Brown was "super dirty" for what he did to him during a second-half sequence. Strong words from the soft-spoken cornerback.
4. The defense wasn't great -- the Patriots were gashed repeatedly on the ground. But this one was on the punchless offense. You hold the Steelers to 17 points, that should be more than enough. Asked if the offense let the defense down, Edelman didn't hold back. “Without a doubt. (The defense) held a good team to … how many points did they have? Seventeen?” he asked, shaking his head. “We hold ourselves to a high standard. But we got outplayed today.”
5. The #StayCovered Defensive Play of the Game? It went to Duron Harmon, who had two picks and remains a thorn in the side of Ben Roethlisberger.
6. I had Live Coverage humming all afternoon long. Go back and check the evolution of this one, if you can stomach it. Interesting to see where it all turned for the Patriots.
7. We have a ton of postgame video - Edelman, Belichick, Gronkowski, Sony Michel and Tom Brady.
8. Greg spent some quality time after the game with the fellas from the Patriots' Postgame Show.
9. Ready and waiting for this week's edition of "Overreaction Monday," which will kick off at 2 p.m. Get your questions in now, because it's going to be epic.
10. Our photog Adam Richins made the trip, and has a great collection of pics from Sunday.
11. Our pals from DKPittsburghSports.com have the view from the other side, as Hunter Homistek looks at the special night Jaylen Samuels had against the Patriots.
12. One last plug for my Sunday notebook, which includes thoughts on whether or not the Steelers' are the closest thing the Patriots have to a rival, provide a follow-up to our story on Josh Gordon last week, remind you that it's not only assistant coaches who might be in demand this offseason, ask a former New England offensive lineman about Joe Thuney's snap streak...and much more.
Extra Point:
Matthew Slater: I’ll be confident in this team until we have no more chances. I’ll never lose confidence in this group. I’ve known some of these guys 11 years. I’ve been playing with some of these guys 5, 6, 7, 8 years.... I’ll never lose confidence in this group. #Patriots
— Christopher Price (@cpriceNFL) December 17, 2018