Smith-Schuster, Elliott lead charge
PITTSBURGH — You heard them before you saw them.
After a 21-18 win over the Steelers Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium, a happy group of Patriots came careening down the tunnel and into the visitors’ locker room. Two of the last players down the long hallway were wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Ezekiel Elliott, who let out a celebratory yell as he entered the locker room.
“Man, it’s been five weeks since we felt this feeling,” said Elliott with a smile. “It’s definitely good for this locker room. We worked so hard during the week and for us to be able to reap the benefits, it means a lot.”
On a night in which the Patriots were without wide receiver Demario Douglas and running back Rhamondre Stevenson, SmithSchuster and Elliott helped power the offense. In his return to Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster finished the night with four catches on six targets for a season-high 90 yards.
Elliott delivered 68 rushing yards, to go along with seven catches on eight targets for 72 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Elliott’s touchdown kicked off the scoring, as he hauled in an 11-yard pass from Bailey Zappe with 11:12 to go in the first quarter, capping an eight-play, 75-yard drive that included a 37-yard catch from Smith-Schuster.
“We just started fast,” Elliott said. “We started fast and we were attacking the defense. Zappe was making some great throws. The O-line was doing a great job protecting them. And we were able to get some points.”
Smith-Schuster also set the table for New England’s third touchdown of the night, a 28yarder down the middle of the field that put the Patriots deep into Pittsburgh territory. On the next play, Zappe hit Hunter Henry on a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-3, which ultimately turned out to be the difference in the 21-18 victory.
It has been a trying season for SmithSchuster, who was on the injury report this week with an ankle issue, but managed to fight his way through it. New England was without Douglas, DeVante Parker, and Kayshon Boutte, but Smith-Schuster was the difference in the passing game.
“JuJu had some really big plays today,” Elliott said. “Two of the bigger plays of the game. I know it feels good for him to be able to come back and make plays where he was drafted and get a win. I’m super happy for JuJu.”
Ultimately, for a team that was looking for a breakout, Elliott and Smith-Schuster were more than happy to set the tone for just the second road win of the season for the Patriots, and first victory since Oct. 22, against the Bills.
“It’s been important for us to bounce back after these losses,” said Elliott. “We definitely just need to get some momentum in this locker room. Get that winning feeling. Taste that and build on it.”
Cunningham elevated
The Patriots elevated quarterback Malik Cunningham and running back Kevin Harris from the practice squad.
It was the second time this year Cunningham has been elevated from the practice squad in advance of a game — he was on the active roster for Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He was already on the active roster for the October loss against the Raiders.
Cunningham, 6-foot-1-inch and 198 pounds, finished his five-season college career at Louisville with 9,660 passing yards and 70 touchdowns to go with 3,179 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns. He was signed as a rookie free agent by the Patriots in May.
It’s the first time Harris has been elevated this season, and likely because veteran Rhamondre Stevenson was downgraded to out earlier in the week because of an ankle injury he sustained Sunday. Harris, a sixthround pick out of South Carolina in 2022, played in five games with one start last year and recorded 18 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Parker a surprise inactive
Parker was a surprise inactive for the Patriots.
The veteran, who was on the injury report early in the week with a knee issue, has displayed a nice connection with Zappe over the last year-plus.
He finished with a season-high 64 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Parker praised Zappe earlier this season, saying he had “more zip” on the ball than Mac Jones, and that the Western Kentucky product was able to do a better job with ball placement than Jones.
In 22 regular-season games with the Patriots, Parker has 53 catches for 803 yards and three touchdowns.
The inactives that weren’t a surprise included Stevenson (ankle) and cornerback Shaun Wade (illness), both of whom were on the injury report over the course of the week. In addition, running back JaMycal Hasty and offensive tackle Vederian Lowe were healthy scratches.
Belichick to pick Army-Navy
Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be the guest picker when ESPN’s “College GameDay” makes it way to Foxborough this Saturday for the Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium.
Belichick will join Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and
Lee Corso on the weekly show to select who they think will win major college football games that day. Army-Navy is the only FBS game Saturday, so Belichick’s pick load will be light.
The coach grew up in Annapolis, Md., where the Naval Academy is located. He was four years old when his father, Steve, started as a scout for Navy’s football team, and the elder Belichick spent 33 years on Navy’s staff.
Other guest pickers this year have included Darius Rucker, Joe Namath, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, and Aidan Hutchinson.
Army-Navy will kick off at Gillette Stadium Saturday at 3 p.m., the first time the game has been played in New England.
Elliss on board
The Patriots claimed linebacker Christian Elliss off waivers.
The 24-year-old, who appeared in 19 games with the Eagles over three seasons, is a 6-3, 213-pounder mostly known for his special teams prowess. He led Philadelphia in special teams snaps this season before he was let go Wednesday.