Shayne Graham is 1/1 on field goals with the Patriots, knocking home a 31-yard attempt to give the Patriots a 10-0 lead as the first quarter draws to a close.
The defense did its thing again on the second Steelers possession, with a 3rd-and-long conversion the only blemish. Pittsburgh was forced to punt after a holding penalty and consecutive sacks stopped them in their tracks.
The Patriots offense was on again, but ran into troubles when BenJarvus Green Ellis moved to cut off a blitzer at the exact moment that Matt Light moved back to pick him up, resulting in a 15-yard chop block penalty. It was neither man’s fault, with each doing their job on the play, just a matter of unfortunate timing. A big run-after-the-catch from Danny Woodhead actually managed to get the Patriots close to a first, but Bill Belichick elected to kick the field goal and take the 10-point lead.