Football fans showed up expecting chaos in Foxborough, and the Patriots delivered it early.
New England jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the home opener against the Steelers, and the defense spent the first half living in Pittsburgh’s backfield. The biggest moment came midway through the second quarter, when linebacker Christian Elliss came flying free off the edge and absolutely folded Aaron Rodgers on a crushing hit. Rodgers took the shot, the ball came loose on third-and-7, and the play instantly turned into the kind of sequence people replay all week.
New England nearly recovered the fumble itself before a scrambling Steeler finally landed on it, but the damage was already done. Pittsburgh ended up falling on the ball well behind the original line of scrimmage, and the math after the play looked almost unreal: third-and-7 became fourth-and-43.
The NFL’s own account posted the replay minutes later, and social media lit up fast. A widely shared clip showed Rodgers absorbing the hit up close as Elliss wrapped him near midfield. The original post piled up more than 320K views in half an hour.
Elliss has been building a reputation as a difference-maker, and this was the kind of snap that makes people notice. New England’s defense came into the season with plenty to prove, and Sunday’s performance offered a reminder that there’s real talent on that side of the ball despite the Week 1 loss. The Patriots have leaned on situational football, and a play that forces a fourth-and-43 is about as extreme as it gets.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson also returned this week after missing the Week 1 opener with an ankle injury, giving New England another boost as the defense kept the pressure on. Rodgers stayed in the game after the sack and continued operating from under center, while Pittsburgh was left staring at a near-impossible fourth down and the threat of giving the Patriots the ball deep in Steelers territory.
Fourth-and-43 is rare enough on its own. Getting there because one defender wrecked the play by himself made it one of the day’s defining moments.
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Steelers Drive Turned Into A Bizarre Mess Fans Need To See
The second quarter of the Steelers Week 2 matchup in New England delivered one of those drives that seemed to unravel in real time. On a third-and-seven play, Christian Elliss forced the ball loose, and the fumble took on a life of its own as it bounced behind the line of scrimmage and set off a scramble involving multiple players before Troy Fautanu finally came away with it.
Even after the recovery, Pittsburgh was left staring at a 4th-and-43, a rare and ugly spot that summed up how badly the possession had gone off the rails. For a team trying to settle into the game and protect its rhythm, the sequence was the kind of chaos that fans replay because it is hard to believe on first watch. [Read more 🡒]