10,096
LeGarrette Blount closed out his forgettable Pittsburgh Steelers tenure by walking off the field in the middle of a game. Unfortunately for the Steelers, he stuck around until the final whistle Sunday.
Playing at Heinz Field for the first time since the Steelers released him in 2014, Blount ran wild against his former team, racking a season-high 127 yards on 24 carries and scoring two of the New England Patriots’ four touchdowns in a 27-16 win.
It was third 100-yard effort of the season for the 29-year-old running back, who already has set a new single-season career high for touchdowns with eight. If he keeps up his current pace, he’ll shatter his career bests for carries and rushing yards, as well.
“I’m having a blast,” Blount told reporters after the game, via MassLive.com. “I’m not counting numbers. I’ve always loved it here. I’ll continue to love it here — great coaching staff, great teammates. It’s really family-oriented.”
Blount, who quickly rejoined the Patriots after bidding adieu the Steelers adieu two years ago, has 566 rushing yards through seven games, good for fifth in the NFL. He’s on pace for 1,294, which would be fourth-highest single-season mark in Patriots history and the highest since Corey Dillon racked up a team-record 1,635 in 2004.
What’s more, Blount already is more than halfway to Curtis Martin’s franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single campaign. The Hall of Famer had 14 in 1995 and 1996; Blount is on pace for 18.
“Blount ran hard,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters after Sunday’s win. “He had good ball security and good pad level. He made some tough yards. He made some big plays — explosive runs for 12 or 15 yards. He had one long one for 25 yards. He gave us some explosive plays. We needed that, particularly when they cut it to a four-point game.”
Some additional notes from the Patriots’ first trip to Pittsburgh since 2011:
— Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has owned the Steelers throughout his illustrious career, and Sunday was no different. He completed 19 of 22 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
In his last six games against Pittsburgh dating to 2007, Brady has 19 touchdowns and zero picks. Not too shabby.
Brady’s “Clydesdale” alter ego also made another appearance Sunday, as the 39-year-old rushed for three first downs in the win.
— New England’s defense struggled at times to contain Steelers stars Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, but it improved immensely in two of its greatest areas of weakness this season: getting off the field on third down and stiffening up in the red zone.
Pittsburgh went 5-for-16 (31 percent) on third down and managed just one touchdown in four trips inside the Patriots’ 20-yard line.
“(Third-down defense was) something that we looked to improve on,” defensive end Jabaal Sheard told reporters. “Everyone was doing their job and trying to get off the field on third down.”
The Patriots also held Bell and Brown to 28 total yards from scrimmage in the fourth quarter and never trailed in the game.
— Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler said his post-interception dance was a playful reimagining of Brown’s touchdown celebration.
“I met Antonio Brown once before,” Butler told reporters. “I told him I like the dance. I showed him, he laughed. So, I just thought it would be fun today. We got tangled up, and he started laughing, so it’s much love for each other.”
Butler spent much of the game matched up on Brown, who caught seven passes on 11 targets for 106 yards in a losing effort.
Thumbnail photo via Jason Bridge/USA TODAY Sports Images