The 10 Best Patriots Moments of 2023: No. 7

Our offeason countdown continues with the Number 7 Best Patriots Moment of 2023.

I’m actually pretty grateful that this time of year has very little to offer in terms of football news. The weather is finally nice enough to spend a decent amount of time outside, and if there was anything NFL-related going on right now I’d likely waste all my time constantly refreshing my computer. Hopefully everyone will have a chance to duck out of work early today to get a jump on their weekend.

But first I’m getting a jump on my 20 Moments Countdown. Back to the sunny side of the street with the Top 10 moments of 2023.

But first, the list so far:

10. The Patriots draft Christian Gonzalez.
9. Jabrill Peppers truck-sticks Davante Adams to set up a Jahlani Tavai interception.
8. Christian Gonzalez wins Defensive Rookie of the Month.

Coming in at Number Seven, a legitimately good moment that likely would have made this list in most other years as well.

7. Bailey Zappe connects with Hunter Henry on a 24-yard laser to open up the game against the Steelers.

New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. Brady vs. Ben. Two Hall of Famers going at it for playoff seeding. Tommy B for sure got the better of the New England vs. Pittsburgh rivalry, but Pats-Steelers was always one of the marquee games of the season.

“Was” being the important word here.

The 2023 Patriots were 2-10 and on the cusp of playoff elimination when they traveled to 7-5 Pittsburgh. The Steelers very much needed to win this game, and the Patriots would technically be better off with a loss, as it was all about draft position at that point. Mac Jones was out, Bailey Zappe was in, and New England fans were fairly divided on rooting interest. Losing to the Mitch Trubisky-led Steelers would be a tough pill to swallow… but that first overall pick in the 2024 draft sure was enticing.

It was obvious right away, however, where the actual Patriots players stood on the whole tanking narrative, as New England came out of the gate swinging. An eight-play, 75-yard opening drive in which Bailey Zappe looked to be in total control of the offense ended when he found Ezekiel Elliott for an 11-yard score to take the lead.

That’s right, folks, an opening drive touchdown!

It would be the first of three first-half TD passes that Zappe threw as the defense held the Steelers to a mere field goal, forcing three and outs on three of four Pitt drives, with that fourth resulting in a Jabrill Peppers interception to give the Patriots a short field. New England took an unfathomable 21-3 lead into the locker room at halftime as both the Steelers and their fans tried to figure out what the hell was happening to their team.

Especially since Zappe’s last touchdown of the half was something that nobody had seen out of the Patriots for the last two seasons.

On 1st-and-10 from the Steeler 24-yard line, Zappe threw an absolute laser down the left sideline to a seemingly covered Hunter Henry, perfectly threading the ball just over the defender’s outstretched hands and into Henry’s for the score. A quick look-off, a small pump fake, and then all of a sudden it was 21-3.

It was the kind of throw we used to see all the time around these parts… but they have been sorely lacking as of late, so to see it again here was just awesome. With that score, another long-lost feeling — the “Oh man we are just blowing this team out, this is fun!” feeling — reared its pretty face for us all to enjoy. It was the throw of a quarterback in complete control of his team and of the game who knew exactly where his guy was going to be and put it where only he could catch it.

The second half of the game was a different story; that Henry TD represented the last points New England scored as Pittsburgh found a rhythm and brought the game to within three points before the defense stiffened and the Patriots managed to hold on for the victory. This win also came on a Thursday night as well, giving the Patriots an enjoyable mini-bye and keeping their absurdly infinitesimal playoff hopes alive for a few more days. By the end of the weekend, the Pats would be officially eliminated from playoff contention, but, hey, it was just nice to win one. And this Henry throw and catch was a nice exclamation point on that win.

As for the Steelers, this game represented the second loss to a two-win team the Steelers suffered at home in a five-day span and knocked Pittsburgh out of contention for a Wild Card spot. I’m not sure if I would really count the Steelers as a New England rival seeing as how lopsided most of the games were over the last 20 years, but they’re still for sure one of those teams it feels good to beat.

When you’re just a terrible team that isn’t going anywhere, the only joy you can take in a season is from the few wins you’re able to get and by ruining other teams’ seasons by taking them down with you. The Pats got a rare win, on the road, against an old semi-rival while actively hurting that rival’s playoff chances. And while some Pats fans were mad about the win because of the whole draft thing, plenty more were happy to get a rare W in a lost season. Plus, it was a great play that would likely have made this list even in a good year for New England, so here it is at No. 7.

Check out the TD here. Full game highlights here.