The New England Patriots ended their losing streak in the NFL with a surprising win at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After five bankruptcies, the serial winner of the past decade, which was in crisis, won 9:18 p.m. on Thursday evening (December 7, 2023, local time). In the 13th game of the season it was only the third victory for the Patriots, in which Bailey Zappe was once again allowed to play as quarterback. His three touchdown passes all came in the first half. The Patriots, coached by Bill Belichick, saved their 21-3 lead to the finish line.
Zappe recorded a total of 240 yards through passes, JuJu Smith Schuster had 90 yards against his former team, making him the most successful pass receiver of the day. Ezekiel Elliot also had a good evening with 22 runs for a total of 68 yards for the Patriots, who did not get on the scoreboard against the Los Angeles Chargers on matchday 13 in their own stadium and lost 6-0.
Another bitter disappointment for the Steelers
With the third defeat from the last four games, the Steelers squandered further credit for their good start to the season and are in danger of losing touch with the playoff places. The Steelers had already lost 10:24 against the Arizona Cardinals against a team with only two wins up to that point. With the Indianapolis Colts, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens, only teams with playoff ambitions face Pittsburgh in the remaining four games.