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11 months ago
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The New England Patriots picked up an upset 21-18 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road on Thursday night.
New England improved to 3-10, while Pittsburgh fell to 7-6 in a tight AFC playoff race.
Midway through the second quarter, the Patriots led 21-3, and despite not scoring for the final 37 minutes of the game, held on for the win.
The Steelers loss drops them from a tie for fifth place in the AFC standings to eighth place, the best position of a team not making the playoffs.
With how crowded the Wild Card field is expected to be in the conference, a loss to one of the worst teams in the NFL at home may have sunk the Steelers chances at a playoff berth.
New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe threw for three touchdowns in the game
Zappe started the game, replacing Mac Jones, who has had a grip on the Patriots starting job for the last three seasons.
Jones has been abysmal this season, keeping the New England offense stagnant and winning only two of a dozen starts. Zappe is now 1-0 in starts this season.
At 3-10, New England is still the worst team in the AFC.
Pittsburgh has lost three of the last four games and with four games left in the regular season, its schedule doesn't let up.
The Steelers play on the road against the Indianapolis Colts next week, then host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Then, Pittsburgh finishes the season with a pair of games on the road against the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens.
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