Losers:
Pass defense
This was a collectively poor effort by everyone involved. The Steelers allowed 341 passing yards to Tom Brady in this contest and did nothing to slow down Julian Edelman and company. This was a game they would like to forget.
Wide receivers
It was a rough night for JuJu Smith Schuster and company. The Steelers wide receivers struggled to separate against a stingy Patriots secondary. They failed to make an impact and had a terrible time hanging on to the ball. It may take a while for these players to mesh together. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown is likely grinning from ear to ear right now.
Pass rush
In reality, I could have put every player on the losers list. New England’s offensive line did an excellent job against T.J. Watt and company on Sunday night. To make matters worse, Watt left the game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. It is a game they would like to have back.
Overall, the performance we saw from Mike Tomlin’s team on Sunday night couldn’t have been much worse. They need to take this back to the drawing board and improve in every area next week against the Seahawks. Let’s hope they don’t have another humiliating loss like this.