Moving away from their usual tactics of zone coverage, the Steelers moved their secondary up close to the line, blanketing the Patriots weapons with strong coverage. This allowed the Steeler pass rush to get some good pressure on Brady.
On top of the strong defensive performance, the Steeler offense put up some huge numbers not only in yardage, but also in time of possession. This enabled the Steelers to keep the ball out of Brady's hands.
This might be the first time in a long time I can say this, but the Steelers coaching staff definitely outcoached Bill Belichick's crew in this one. Hats off to Bruce Arians for calling a strong ball control type offense instead of going for the homerun ball every other pass. Hats off to Dick LeBeau for getting away from his comfort zone and allowing the Steeler secondary to force the issue in man coverage.
This was an important game for the Steelers as it kept them ahead of the Ravens in the standings. It gives the Steelers a tiebreaker over a potential AFC division winner, which could come into play for playoff seeding for bye weeks.
It also gives Pittsburgh a lot of momentum heading into next week's rematch against the Baltimore Ravens who embarrassed the Steelers in week 1. That game is going to be a lot of fun.
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