Belichick: Patriots wanted to neutralize T.J. Watt and George Pickens

A nasty 12 months for the Patriots grew to become just a little brighter with a prime-time victory over the Steelers on Thursday night time. To make it occur, coach Bill Belichick did one thing he’s been doing for many years.

He took away what the opposite crew does greatest.

In this case, Belichick had one participant he hoped to take away on either side of the ball for Pittsburgh.

“Try to neutralize two guys [T.J.] Watt and [George] Pickens,” Belichick stated. “Both those guys obviously a big problem. Played competitively against them.”

As to Watt, it helped the trigger when he took a Zeke Elliott knee to the face on the primary play of the sport. The blow required further consideration to Watt on the sideline, from an examination of his jaw to, finally, a concussion analysis within the medical tent to the applying of a tinted visor.

It’s unclear why a tinted visor was used. We’re attempting to get a solution to that query. The commonsense clarification is that the hit made him delicate to mild. Which factors to a possible head damage.

As to Pickens, the truth that Belichick recognized him because the participant to neutralize additional exhibits how poorly the Steelers are utilizing the second-year receiver. He wants to have the ball in his palms. He wants to be concerned within the offense. Rarely if ever does it seem that the Steelers design and implement performs geared toward placing the soccer in his palms.

For probably the most half, Pickens has prevented displaying frustration throughout video games. In the crew’s two Thursday night time video games this season, he has. Against the Patriots, the published talked about that coach Mike Tomlin was talking to a annoyed Pickens on the sideline.

After the sport, quarterback Mitch Trubisky confirmed that, as soon as once more, George is getting upset.

“I try to talk to G on the sidelines,” Trubisky stated. “Obviously he’s frustrated. We’re all frustrated. Game didn’t go down how we wanted it. Would like to get him the ball more, get him going. He’s a special talent, and once we figure that out — and just everyone has to manage their emotions and we got to drive in the same direction in order to be successful. But he cares, man. He cares. He shows it in different ways and those frustrations come out, but everyone is frustrated. I talked to him. Gave him some time. We’ll come back tomorrow and go back to work. That’s all I know how to do, go back to work.”

It’s straightforward to recite platitudes in conditions like that. “Go back to work” and “gotta go to work” and “all we can do is work.” No one is saying the Steelers are lazy. The query is whether or not the work they’re doing is the proper work.

The incontrovertible fact that Belichick pinpointed Pickens as the most important downside on the Pittsburgh offense exhibits that, with the additional time the Steelers have earlier than the Week 15 recreation at Indianapolis, the Steelers ought to work on determining how to get the ball to Pickens extra typically.