New England Patriots running back and former Pitt star Dion Lewis returned to Heinz Field for just the third time in his professional career — and his first time as a starter — on Sunday afternoon to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his contributions proved to be vital to his team’s 27-24 win.
For the Patriots, the plan going into the highly anticipated matchup was supposed to be to strike a greater balance between the passing game and the running game, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. That came about after the Patriots ran the ball just 10 times and attempted 43 passes in a 27-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins that saw Tom Brady picked off twice by Xavien Howard.