Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-0
21
FINAL
23
New England
Patriots
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round matchup, the New England Patriots narrowly defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-21, advancing to the next stage of the playoffs. The stakes were high, with both teams looking to secure a spot in the divisional round, but it was the Patriots who emerged victorious in a tightly contested battle.
Drake Maye shone for the Patriots, throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to lead under pressure. Meanwhile, Antonio Gibson of the Steelers put on a remarkable performance on the ground, racking up 120 rushing yards, while Michael Pittman added 92 receiving yards, providing a balanced offensive attack for Pittsburgh.
Defensively, both teams made their mark, but it was the Patriots' Milton Williams who stood out with a crucial sack that helped halt a Steelers drive. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Jalen Ramsey intercepted a pass, giving Pittsburgh a glimmer of hope, but they ultimately could not convert that momentum into a game-winning score. The Patriots' defense held firm when it mattered most, sealing their playoff fate.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Maye | QB | 25 | 16 | 64% | 227 | 2 | 1 | 103.2 |
| Sam Darnold | QB | 13 | 9 | 69% | 134 | 0 | 0 | 102.7 |
| Kyle Williams | WR | 1 | 1 | 100% | 37 | 0 | 0 | 118.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Gibson | HB | 21 | 120 | 5.7 | 28 | 2 | 45 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 15 | 24 | 1.6 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 6 | 9 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman | WR | 3 | 92 | 30.7 | 33 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 3 | 59 | 19.7 | 10 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Kyle Williams | WR | 4 | 57 | 14.3 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Mack Hollins | WR | 2 | 54 | 27.0 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 3 | 28 | 9.3 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Antonio Gibson | HB | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Craig Woodson | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joshua Farmer | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Elliss | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nahshon Wright | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dell Pettus | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Jacas | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshon Lattimore | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andres Borregales | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 2 | 3 | 1 | 54 |

