QUARTERBACK
For longer than was comfortable, Tom Brady looked uncomfortable, but it was never as bad as it felt. On a day when the Steelers were getting after him and, more importantly, challenging his receivers with man coverage rather than the traditional Pittsburgh zones Brady has shredded in the past, he led the Pats to five scores in eight drives. He couldn't get the ball to his wide receivers in the second half, so he settled for a steady diet of Rob Gronkowski. Brady was at times off target or late on some throws, a victim of Steelers pressure. He threw a critical third-quarter interception under duress from linebacker Vince Williams and nearly threw two others, including a tipped pass with two minutes left that would have ended the game but was dropped by safety Sean Davis. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than brilliant, and Brady was both on the final drive. Overall, he completed 5-of-7 throws that traveled 20 yards or longer, most to Gronkowski in single coverage against Davis. Brady signaled Gronk on fourth-and-1 to run a slant against cornerback Artie Burns, a physical mismatch on that route. It went for 10 yards and set up Brady's only TD pass shortly thereafter, stepping up to avoid the rush and finding Brandin Cooks across the back of the end zone. After the near interception on the final drive, Brady completed throws of 26, 26 and 17, finding Gronk on a seam route, a deep in and a deep cross that put the ball on the 8. One play later, Dion Lewis was in the end zone. Brady is 11-2 against Pittsburgh. To make it 12-2 next month, he will have to play better.