PITTSBURGH — Relief and exhaustion were written across Mac Jones‘ face as the second-year quarterback addressed the media following the Patriots‘ 17-14 win over the Steelers in Week 2. Sunday’s win came after a trying week for Jones, who overcame illness and a back injury to lead New England to victory.
In outplaying his counterpart, Mitch Trubisky, Jones and his teammates rebounded from last Sunday’s shaky season opener in Miami by defeating a Pittsburgh team that was flying high after its Week 1 upset win over the defending AFC champions. The Steelers weren’t able to duplicate that magic on Sunday, however, with Jones doing his best Tom Brady impression in leading New England to victory.
“Obviously, we wanted to improve a lot of things,” said Jones, who won his 11th start in the NFL. “We had a chance to do that throughout the week; that’s where it all started. … Offensive line played amazing, didn’t really even get hit, so hats off to them. Run game, pass game, they made it work, so that was something I was really proud of. That’s something that we’ve got to keep doing.”
Jones not getting hit — or sacked, to be more specific — is not a good sign for the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin, whose best player, T.J. Watt, was out on Sunday and will miss at least the next three games while on IR. Jones took advantage of Watt’s absence, as he stood tall in the pocket while completing an array of completions through the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense. Jones also went deep while delivering a massive blow just before halftime when he threw a 44-yard dime to Nelson Agholor that gave New England a 10-3 halftime lead.
Unlike their loss in Miami, the Patriots’ early success throwing the ball (Jakobi Meyers had three big catches on New England’s first drive that ended in a field goal) opened things up for their ground attack. Led by Damien Harris, the Patriots ran for a workmanlike 124 yards on 31 carries. Harris’ 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Patriots a 17-6 lead, three plays after Brenden Schooler’s recovery of Gunner Olszewski’s muffed punt gave New England the ball at the Steelers’ 10-yard line.
“It allows us to run the ball well when we beat man-to-man, because that’s a defense’s counter,” Agholor said of the importance of New England’s success through the air. “If we can pass the ball when they go man, now they have to play zone, and we’re able to…
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