With Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan Allen Jersey , the Patriots dropped to 9-5 on the year, fell behind the Texans in the playoff seedings, and lost their second game in a row. Given how they lost the week before, on a last-second miracle in Miami, you’d think the team would want to exorcise those demons with a convincing win today. Not the case, and the Patriots are likely going to be playing on Wild Card Weekend for the first time in forever.But fear not; all is not lost in New England. And only in New England is hosting a playoff game during Wild Card Weekend some kind of disgrace. But here are five positives we can all take away from this game.Steelers were due. When you’re 11-2 against the Steelers and are winners of the last 7 straight, you’re going to drop one eventually. And in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather the Steelers get theirs now, during the regular season, than when the game really matters. The Patriots aren’t going to beat the Patriots every single time – they don’t beat any team every single time – and with this 2018 team being so wildly inconsistent, it makes all the sense in the world that a Steelers team fighting for its playoff life would finally break the losing streak.Expected loss. I don’t know about any of you, but I had this game pegged as a loss when the schedule first came out. Having to travel to Pittsburgh right on the heels of the house of horrors that is Miami just felt like too much for this team to handle Danny Shelton Color Rush Jersey , especially a mentally weak team like the 2018 Patriots. I initially had the team going 12-4 when the schedule first came out, with a win coming at Detroit, but that’s why we watch.Playoffs still all but guaranteed. This is a very weird year, especially in the AFC, and all you need to do is make the postseason to have a legitimate shot at a deep playoff run. It’s definitely a blow to have lost the inside track to a first round bye, and this team’s road performance in 2018 should leave you highly skeptical as to whether or not the Patriots have a legit shot in the divisional round (which would likely be against Houston) – but the Patriots are still going to win the AFC East and host at least one playoff game.Home games left. The reason the Patriots are going to win the AFC East is because they close out the year at home. Yeah, they STINK on the road, but they’re very solid at home. Combine that with games against the hapless Bills and Jets, and 11-5 should be how this team finishes. A two game win streak to take into the playoffs could go a long way.First world problems. Here’s what everyone is so bummed about today: no first overall seed, no first round bye. Think about that. We’re so spoiled as fans that we’re pissed off about potentially watching this team play an extra game hosting a Wild Card team BEFORE THE FULL PLAYOFF PICTURE HAS EVEN CRYSTALIZED. Remember how excited the Bills were last year just to make the playoffs? Or how excited their fans were? I’m going to take this time to remind you that the Patriots have won five Super Bowls this century, and anything else they do at this point is just gravy. So they lost – who cares? There are plenty of teams who would consider 9-5 and a great shot at a division title one of the most successful seasons in memory. So let’s all suck it up and continue to enjoy these Tom Brady games while we still can. One week after losing in heart-breaking fashion, the New England Patriots again were beaten in a close road game on Sunday. This week Drew Bledsoe Jersey , the Pittsburgh Steelers were the team to defeat the reigning AFC champions by winning 17-10. Let’s take a look at those players that stood out during the contest — for better or for worse.Loser: The offensive linePatriots quarterback Tom Brady was just sacked once all game long, but the blockers in front of him still had a rough outing. The group was oftentimes overpowered at the point of attack, which helped Pittsburgh generate pressure on Brady even when not directly hitting him. This, in turn, kept the future Hall of Famer and the entire offense from getting into a consistent rhythm. Furthermore, the line was responsible for six penalties on the day — four of its five members (all except center David Andrews) were flagged at least once.Loser: Josh McDanielsIn the last few years, the Patriots offense hardly had any problems against the Steelers defense. Yesterday, however, the unit did not find the end zone after a 63-yard touchdown pass on its third play of the day. While the players’ execution was at times simply not good enough, the group’s play caller needs to be questioned as well. Why did the Patriots not try to get Josh Gordon or Rob Gronkowski involved more? Why did the team not try to stick to running game more consistently? And what in the world happened to James White’s role?Winner: CB Stephon GilmorePrimarily going against one of the NFL’s best wide receivers — Antonio Brown — Stephon Gilmore again proved why he is one of the league’s premier cornerbacks. Brown finished the day with just four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown on which Gilmore was not in coverage, and the cornerback’s performance is a reason why. The 28-year old was physical at the line of scrimmage no matter who was on the other side of him, and stuck closely to his assignments all day long.Loser: The run defenseLast week Montee Ball Color Rush Jersey , the Patriots were gashed for 189 yards on just 21 carries (9.0 yard/run) on the ground. This week, the defense did not fare much better: not counting kneel downs, New England allowed the Steelers to gain 161 yards on 23 carries for a healthy average of 7.0 yards a carry. While the game plan might have again played a role in this, the Patriots — especially defensive tackles Malcom Brown, Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler — simply did not get off its blocks up front to have any form of impact in the running game.Loser: The team disciplineWhile penalizing in the NFL at times appears to be a rather arbitrarily-looking affair, the Patriots getting flagged 15 times (one of which was declined) against the Steelers is still very bad. The team lost 106 yards worth of field position in the process and even worse put itself in consistently bad situations — often in easily avoidable fashion: eight of the Patriots’ penalties happened before the snap. In a game as close as yesterday’s, one has to wonder if the outcome would have been different had New England just gotten flagged not as often.Winner: CB J.C. JacksonFrom the very first play of the day it became clear that J.C. Jackson would have a big role in the game: the undrafted rookie was asked to guard the Steelers’ leader in catches and receiving yards this season, JuJu Smith-Schuster. And for most parts, the youngster fared well. While often getting help over the top, Jackson still played a considerable part in New England limiting the wideout to just four catches for 40 total yards — one of the worst statistical performances of the season for Smith-Schuster.Winner: FS Duron HarmonDuring last year’s game in Pittsburgh, safety Duron Harmon made the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter. And even though the Patriots did not leave town victoriously this time around, Harmon still had another big performance. The deep safety not only helped limit the impact of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster https://www.patriotsfanstore.com/Malcom-Brown-Jersey , he also registered two interceptions — twice being in the right spot at the right time again.Loser: TE Rob GronkowskiIn six meetings with Pittsburgh’s defense, Rob Gronkowski combined to catch 39 passes for 664 yards and eight touchdowns. Yesterday and with the Steelers double-covering him on most of his snaps, however, Gronkowski was shut down. The veteran finished with just two catches for 21 yards despite being credited with five targets. One week after playing his best game of the season, the 29-year old had another quiet performance.Loser: WR Josh Gordon & WR Julian EdelmanWith Gronkowski a focal point for the Steelers defense, the Patriots needed their other pass catchers to step up. However, the two most likely candidates failed to do that: Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman. Gordon, who averaged 91.7 receiving yards in his six previous meeting with Pittsburgh, was targeted just two times and registered one 19-yard catch and one costly third down drop. Edelman, meanwhile, was more productive — he led the team with seven catches for 90 yards — but also failed to elevate the offense; all while also getting penalized twice.