Five things we learned from Patriots 27, Steelers 24 (plus a bonus item at the end):

1. The offense can survive in the short term without Antonio Brown.

With Houston and Cleveland and their combined 4-24 record left on the schedule, the Steelers should be able to get through the rest of the regular season without their All-Pro wide receiver.

A starting tandem of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant doesn't look so bad – especially against the remaining opposition – after what they did against the Patriots. Smith-Schuster had six catches for 114 yards and was an overturned Jesse James touchdown grab from having his 69-yard catch go down as one of the most exciting plays in Heinz Field history.

Bryant also stepped up. His diving 39-yard catch down the sideline came a few plays before Brown was helped off with his left calf injury. Late in the first half, Bryant gave the Steelers a 17-10 lead with his 4-yard touchdown catch that was made with one hand on the ball and the other holding off a defender.

Even Eli Rogers made a contribution. This game will be remembered for the ill-fated pass to Rogers in the final seconds, a play that overshadowed the 18-yard touchdown catch he had in the first half. It was Rogers' first touchdown of the season.

Still, for all of the good things the receivers did without Brown, they could have used him in the final seconds. Maybe, unlike Darrius Heyward-Bey, Brown gets out of bounds on the penultimate offensive snap and there is no confusion with the clock winding down. Or maybe he is the target, instead of Rogers, on that fateful deflected pass that was intercepted in the end zone.

Receivers like Rogers, Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter will be called upon to fill in for Brown as they Steelers push on toward the playoffs. Brown will be needed once they get there, but the offense should be fine without him in the interim.

2. The offense recaptured its mojo in the running game.

Brown's absence gave the Patriots one less playmaker to defend, yet they still had difficulty stopping running back Le'Veon Bell.

Bell had 18 rushing yards early in the second quarter when Brown was injured. He finished with 117 on 24 carries, a 4.9 yard average. He also scored the touchdown that gave the Steelers a 24-16 lead late in the third quarter.

Bell continued to make plays in the passing game as well, catching five passes for 48 yards. In a new wrinkle, the Steelers lined up Bell outside on some plays, putting a wide receiver in the backfield. This was the formation used on the overturned James touchdown catch.

The success in the running game helped the Steelers achieve statistical balance with their offense: 31 rushing attempts and 30 passing attempts.

For the final two games, the Steelers will have right tackle Marcus Gilbert back on the field, as his four-game suspension for a PED violation is over. Chris Hubbard's play made Gilbert's absence almost unnoticed, but the Steelers will welcome back the big man on the right side of the line.

3. Winning possession downs didn't translate to the scoreboard.

Coach Mike Tomlin likes talking about the importance of third downs and usually a look at the numbers can differentiate the winner from the loser.

Not this time.

On offense, the Steelers converted 10 of 16 third downs as they kept the chains moving and drives continuing while also keeping Tom Brady on the sideline. They converted four third downs on their 8-minute, 39-second touchdown drive that produced a go-ahead touchdown late in the first half.

Of the six times the Steelers didn't convert on third down, the biggest of course came on their final snap when Roethlisberger threw his ill-fated pass to Rogers in the end zone.

The Patriots, meantime, were just 3 of 9 on third down. But the Steelers never got the Patriots to a third-down on the eventual game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Heck, the Patriots ran just one play on second down while smoothly moving 77 yards in 1:10.

4. For 58 minutes, the defensive front pressured Brady.

Until the Patriots' final drive, the Steelers did a good job of making Brady uncomfortable in the pocket. Cam Heyward and Bud Dupree had sacks, and Brady was being pursued when he threw his only interception of the game, a Vince Williams pick that led to a touchdown and a 24-16 Steelers lead.

The defensive plan called for nose tackle Javon Hargrave to remain on the field in subpackages, with Dupree coming off the field. Hargrave played 65 percent of the snaps, 5 percent more than Dupree.

The scheme worked until the end when Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski for three completions covering 69 yards. When that drive began, Brady was a pedestrian 19 of 31 for 229 yards and an 81.3 passer rating.

Although the Steelers allowed 27 points, they tried something different to try to stop the Patriots. And, for a long while, it worked.

5. If there is a sequel, the Steelers need to devise a new plan to stop Gronk.

Strong safety Sean Davis tried his best to slow down the 6-foot-6 tight end, but he was powerless to stop Gronkowski from hauling in those over-the-shoulder catches on the Patriots' game-winning drive.

It was a sound plan since Davis had the best physical traits in the secondary to match up with Gronkowski. But he needed help and rarely received it.

Davis led the Steelers with 10 tackles, many of them coming from hauling down the big tight end from behind. Aside from a 43-yard reception by Brandin Cooks, Gronkowski accounted for the next seven long pass plays.

If these teams meet again in the AFC championship game, no matter the venue, the Steelers will need to put a second body on Gronkowski. If not, they can cancel the reservations for Minneapolis.

Bonus item:

6. Ryan Shazier was out of the hospital.

The most pleasant surprise of the game came when the defense took the field for the first time with 12:11 to play in the first quarter. Shazier, less than two weeks from sustaining that devastating spinal cord injury, was shown on the video board waiving a Terrible Towel from a private suite.

Shazier's return to Heinz Field was an uplifting moment in a game that ended on such a down note for the Steelers.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.

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