Joey’s 5 Big Takeaways From Last Night’s Patriots Game

Longtime Patriots fan and CYY morning show host show gives you his biggest takeaways from last night's Pats/Steelers game.

The New England Patriots rolled in game 1 of the 2015 season last night, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-21 in fiery Foxboro. Here are my biggest takeaways after watching the game.

1. DISTRACTIONS? WHAT DISTRACTIONS?

Tom Brady clearly did not let months of litigation, public debate or horrible court art distract him from the one thing we all know he's really good at; being an NFL quarterback. Brady carved up an admittedly weak Pittsburgh secondary, barely missing the mark on any of his 32 passing attempts. Brady, who looked awful in the preseason, proved once again that when games matter, he's absolutely the quarterback you want on the field.

2. THE YOUNG, UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD OFFENSIVE LINE

If you watched the game last night and wondered who the hell David Andrews, Josh Kline, Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason were, then you probably weren't alone. The Patriots opened the 2015 season with significant injuries along the offensive line, including to starting center Bryan Stork and starting left guard Ryan Wendell. The most impressive performance last night had to be from undrafted rookie center David Andrews. The Steelers never got significant pressure on Tom Brady up the middle and it was in large part due to the play of Andrews. Compile that with absolutely no issues snapping the ball on a drizzly night in New England and Andrews already looks like a steal for the Pats. He'll certainly be tested in week 2 against a powerful Buffalo Bills defensive line but so far, so good.

3. SO THAT MALCOLM BUTLER GUY, HUH?

Butler was asked to shadow one of the 10 best wide receivers in the NFL last night and ultimately tasked with not letting Antonio alter the outcome of the game. Butler passed with flying colors. If you look just at stats, Butler's night would seem unimpressive. But the eye test suggests that Butler took Antonio Brown away from the Steelers offense on several key plays last night and that's all the Patriots are looking for. Butler still has plenty of room for improvement but considering he was a healthy scratch for most of the regular season last year, what a transformation already.

4. DION LEWIS MIGHT END UP BEING A NICE SHANE VEREEN RIP-OFF

Lewis was called upon last night to do most of the heavy lifting at the running back spot with LaGarrette Blount suspended by the NFL. But when Blount returns, Lewis should see plenty of the field after his performance last night. Had I just told you that Shane Vereen (who departed via free agency in the offseason) was playing last night, you could have believed me. Lewis looked shifty, patient, and smart cutting through the line to gain yards on the ground. He also appears to have soft hands and a pass catching instinct that Tom Brady will come to trust. Just another amazing story from the Patriots, as Lewis didn't play a single game in the NFL last season.

5. IT'S JUST ROB GRONKOWSKI'S WORLD AND WE'RE ALL LIVING IN IT

Gronk continued his summer long party by playing like a bus in last night's game. Gronk found the end zone 3 separate times for the Pats and proved once again that when he's healthy, there's simply no one like him in the NFL. In fact, you could argue that New England has the greatest weapon in today's game. An uncoverable, freak of nature athlete that lines up at tight end. Who needs another Randy Moss when you're the only team that has a Rob Gronkowski?

Each and every week, I'll recap the Patriots games with my 5 major takeaways. I'd love you feedback! Anything else that you saw in last nights game that needs a closer look?