The New England Patriots put on a display on banner night against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
With a performance like this, there are some great things to point out but also a few things that could be better.
Here is your first edition of Winners and Losers in the regular.
Winner: Defense
The defense was as good as advertised in the Summer. The scary part is they did not have all of the starters out there. With Kyle Van Noy inactive tending to his wife in labor, the unit surrendered no points in the first half and constantly made Ben Roethlisberger uncomfortable.
The cornerbacks blanketed the receivers who had no room to run the entire night. By the end of the first half, Juju Smith-Schuster only recorded two receptions against All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, and J.C. Jackson did not give Donte Moncrief, Ryan Switzer or James Washington anywhere to go following them step for step.
While the Steelers have never played well against the Patriots in New England in the Brady/Belichick era, it is safe to say that this unit will be a special one.
Loser: Sony Michel
The Georgia alum could not get anything going in his first opening day start in his career.
Even when he had the blocks, Michel found himself making one cut too many when he pushed past the second level leading to his own demise before he can turn on the jets.
It got to the point where the team veered away from giving him the ball favoring a two-running back set with Rex Burkhead and James White.
Michel needs to read his blocks better when he takes the handoffs going forward.
Winner: Tom Brady
Are we sure he is 42-years old? The six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback deflected claims of his declining long ball throwing two dimes over 20 yards to Phillip Dorsett and a 43 yard bomb to Josh Gordon..
Brady was reading the Steelers’ defense like a book calling out Marc Barron often when taking his position as the MIKE linebacker.
Aside from holding the ball too long on a couple plays, a few misreads and questionable decisions, Brady was perfect.
Loser: Pass Rush
While it could be considered a nitpick and as previously stated Roethlisberger was made uncomfortable, the unit could not finish the job and get to the quarterback.
Too many times Roethlisberger had quite a bit of time to throw the ball which lead to most of his completions including a big gainer to James Washington.
Shilique Calhoun was called offside late in the third quarter which is a common but avoidable error.
Again, tough to point out flaws in a performance like this but it is probably something that Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo, Steve Belichick, and company will point out in the film room.
Winners: Ted Karras and Isaiah Wynn
Submarine-like pressure was on these two men as both had big shoes to fill replacing Trent Brown and David Andrews.
Ted Karras and Isaiah Wynn exceeded expectations to say the least.
The Georgia alum shored up Brady’s blindside giving him all day to throw the ball. Through three quarters, Wynn only gave up one pressure in 33 rushes against him. Wynn also showed no limitation in his Achilles movement looking like he is 100 percent going forward.
Karras did not just snap the ball, he called out the defense and fit in Andrew’s spot like a glove.
Exceptional play from the two new starters.
Winner: Josh Gordon
Welcome back Josh Gordon. The Patriots receiver had a performance that tugs at the heartstrings of all of the fans in New England and around the league rooting for him.
Gordon had the first touchdown thrown by Brady and the crowd erupted as a weight seemed to be lifted off of his shoulders.
Gordon hauled in three receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown including the aforementioned 43-yard bomb.
The amount of targets the Patriots have is stuff of nightmares for defensive coordinators and it is only going to get worse with a certain someone debuts next week.
