Instant observations from Patriots' Week 1 landslide victory over Steelers

Some elite defense and a tremendous passing game were intact from the Patriots in their season-opener.

The New England Patriots' Week 1 game was over by halftime, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 33-3. 

Here are some instant observations following the team's season-opening win over their AFC rivals. 

Gunner Olszewski is a legitimate threat as a punt returner

We knew that former UDFA D-II prospect Gunner Olszewski was a good punt returner during the preseason. But we didn't expect him to be this effective when he took the field against an opposing team's best players. 

Against the Steelers, Olszewski returned two punts for 35 yards, averaging 17.5 yards per punt. His effectiveness as a returner gives New England a lethal threat on special teams while also giving Julian Edelman a breather during the game. The former Bemidji State product has definitely proven why the Patriots saved a roster spot for him at the last minute. 

Isaiah Wynn looks stout at left tackle

The regular-season debut for start left tackle, Isaiah Wynn not only brought much hype, but also brought a lot of promise. 

Wynn was excellent in Week 1 vs. the Steelers, looking very athletic on Tom Brady's blindside while also doing his part in keeping Brady on his feet in the pocket. There's seems to be little question as to how the team will stand now without Trent Brown. Wynn is the starting left tackle for the foreseeable future, which should make all of us very happy.

Patriots defense was everything we expected it to be

Heading into the regular season, the expectation based on the depth and talent on the unit was that New England's defense would be one of the league's best in 2019. Week 1 stuck to that narrative, as the unit gave Been Roethlisberger trouble all night, leaving him not options downfield and gave James Connor no running lanes all night. Stephon Gilmore locked up Juju Smith-Schuster, who mustered up six receptions for 78 yards.

The pass rush wasn't quite what it was expected to be, however. But that might be more credit to the Steelers' offensive line and the mobility of Roethlisberger, who was able to shift outside the pocket when pressure was coming his way. Other than that, New England is on pace to be one of the top defenses in the NFL. 

Sony Michel wasn't very effective, though it didn't really matter

On a night without Demaryius Thomas, N’Keal Harry or newly-added receiver Antonio Brown, the expectation was that New England would win their season-opener on the ground and in the hands of Sony Michel. That didn't happen, but they still won handily. 

Michel managed just 14 yards on 15 carries, struggling to find open running lanes and not having many opportunities to beat defenders one-one-one. Luckily for him it didn't matter, because the team dominated through the air and in the hands of running backs James White and Rex Burkhead, who did damage to the Steelers' defense through the air and on the ground. 

Passing game looked explosive despite not having three of its top wideouts

Again, without Thomas, Harry or Brown, no one would have expected New England to dominate through the passing game like they did Sunday night against Pittsburgh. 

Using packages that included route runners from the Patriots' backfield, Brady carved up the Steelers defense for 341 yards and three touchdowns. His ability to sling the ball downfield and spread it out to seven different receivers once again displayed how the 42 year old defies odds this late in his career. 

When New England gets the three aforementioned receivers in their lineup, one cannot fathom how dangerous their offense will be going forward. It may be even better than what we saw from the Patriots back in 2007, which means a lot of points will be scored in 2019 and a championship appearance is on the forefront once again. 

The Steelers looked really bad, though

As much credit as we should give to the Patriots for their efforts in Week 1, there is something to be said for how bad the Steelers played. In their first game without Antonio Brown, the team couldn't seem to find any explosion on offense, which resulted in a lackluster effort in all phases of the offense. 

For the defense, there were many blown coverages which resulted in 33 points given up, which will likely be cleaned up going forward but must be extremely frustrating for head coach Mike Tomlin, who continually fails to beat New England. 

Pittsburgh was supposed to be one of the tougher AFC rivals for the Patriots in 2019. That doesn't look like the case right now.