The game might have set offense back about 30 years, but the Patriots will take it as long as it comes with the W.
New England slogged their way to 17 points offensively -- exactly how much I told you they needed against this team, by the way -- and the defense bent but didn't break against Mitchell Trubisky and the Steelers offense en route to earning their first win of 2022.
Though the Patriots need to step up their game offensively, they made some necessary adjustments, including getting Nelson Agholor the ball more and getting Kendrick Bourne some more playing time, and it gave them just enough to win the day.
The defense, as expected, didn't have anything to fear from Trubisky, bottling up the run game and forcing the replacement-level veteran to beat them from the pocket -- something he's proven he can't do.
Here's what stood out.
Nelson Agholor explodes.
The signs have been there since training camp, and Sunday showed it forth: Agholor is ready to put last year's dud behind him and be one of the Patriots' best offensive players.
Detractors will say Jones' throw down the right sideline late in the second quarter should've been picked off. But it wasn't. Because Agholor wanted it that much more than Ahkello Witherspoon did. Not only that, but he stayed on his feet and got into the end zone for a badly needed touchdown -- for him and the team.
He finished with six catches for 110 yards along with that touchdown, marking his first 100-yard game with New England.
Though Jakobi Meyers remains Mac Jones' most trusted receiver -- he saw 13 targets compared to Agholor's six -- Agholor's emergence is absolutely necessary for a team still trying to figure out who it can count on offensively.
With the Patriots not getting much out of their tight ends, DeVante Parker having just one catch so far this year and Kendrick Bourne not playing much, Agholor has to be the man they signed him to be.
This Sunday, he was just that.
Patriots' Week 2 adjustments pay off.
As rough as the offense continues to look, there are signs that the coaching staff is doing some honest self-scouting amid the struggles.
After operating an annoyingly conservative game plan in Week 1, the Patriots led off several drives with…passes on first down?! One of them was even…PLAY-ACTION?! (That one was completed to Agholor for a 25-yard gain.)
Not all of those plays worked out from a results standpoint for one reason or another. But the very act of keeping the defense honest is going to help this fledgling offense find its bearings in time.
Good adjustments weren't just limited to the offensive side of the ball, though.
The insertion of Mack Wilson into the lineup as a starting linebacker paid dividends immediately as Wilson jumped a Mitchell Trubisky throw over the middle and tipped it into the air for Jalen Mills to grab.
Wilson played the third-most snaps of all linebackers last week behind Ja'Whaun Bentley and Raekwon McMillan, but McMillan's thumb injury opened the door for Wilson to seize more playing time. His speed and coverage ability weren't on the field enough in Week 1, and the Patriots recognized and rectified that.
Cole Strange proves worthy of first-round pick.
The rookie out of Tennessee-Chattanooga had a rough introduction to the NFL last week, getting exposed on a miscommunication that got Mac Jones sacked against Miami. That led to a rotation between Strange and veteran James Ferentz in Week 1, though Strange still played more.
This week, the much-discussed first-round pick showed everyone what he was capable of against a strong Steelers defensive front.
His pass protection was strong the entire game, and he and the offensive line did a much better job passing off stunts and handling the pressures Pittsburgh threw out them.
Then, when it was time to close out the game, Strange took centerstage as New England pulled him across formations to lead the way for Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, driving defenders out of holes with his explosive strength.
It's only two games into Strange's NFL career, but putting that level of trust in the young guard -- and seeing him execute it -- tells you what this Patriots staff thinks of his abilities. The discussion will shift pretty quickly from his draft status to whether or not he'll make a Pro Bowl in the near future if he keeps this up.
Time to worry about Mac Jones?
Put the stats aside for a moment: this was not a great game from Jones.
For the second straight week, Jones just didn't have the consistent accuracy and crispness you expect from him.
Yet another throw down the field to DeVante Parker was picked off -- this one an overthrow that Minkah Fitzpatrick easily nabbed. Their chemistry continues to leave much to be desired.
Jones sailed a throw over the middle to Kendrick Bourne, who emerged ever so slightly from the doghouse this week (two catches for 16 yards), from a clean pocket.
He straight-up didn't see Lil'Jordan Humphrey running open for a possible touchdown in the first quarter.
So far, the second-year leap everyone wanted to see hasn't come for Jones, though not everything -- play-calling and personnel groupings, for instance -- is fully in his control.
Plays like the DeVante Parker interception and Nelson Agholor touchdown can probably be chalked up to Jones attempting throws he probably wouldn't have as a rookie in 2021. It might yield poorer results from time to time, but it can also produce huge plays (as it did with Agholor).
But that near-interception to Cameron Sutton where he rolled to his left and tried to fling it across his body? Nothing about that was positive unless it convinces Jones to never attempt that throw again.
Give Jones credit for standing in the pocket on a few nice third-down completions later in the game (thanks to some much improved pass protection by the offensive line). But things are looking much more difficult for Jones than we want to see thus far (admittedly against solid defenses), and some of those problems are self-inflicted.
