Ezekiel Elliott stepped up to the call as the New England Patriots' lead running back with Rhamondre Stevenson out in their upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bill Belichick took notice.

Following Thursday's game, Belichick praised the veteran running back, who had 140 total yards of offense and a touchdown. Elliot played nearly every offensive snap in the 21-18 win.

But there was one play from Elliott's performance that impressed Belichick the most. When Bailey Zappe threw an interception in the third quarter, Elliott possibly made a game-changing tackle when he took down Mykal Walter at the Patriots' 16-yard line. The play saved a likely pick-six and the Steelers didn't capitalize off the opportunity, proving to be a difference in the Patriots' win.

Belichick believed that play encapsulated Elliott's performance on Thursday.

“I thought Zeke ran hard. Zeke made a big play on the interception to keep them out of the end zone, wound up getting a defensive stop on that. That was a huge play,” Belichick told reporters.

“He comes to work every day. We needed him to step up and carry the mail today, and he did. So, he carried the ball and took a lot of plays, a lot of snaps, short week. He got banged up last week, but that was a pro performance today.”

Ezekiel Elliott likes how things are going with the Patriots

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There haven't been many things for Patriots fans to be happy about this season. Elliott's been one of the few. He's rushed for 497 yards and two touchdowns, adding 226 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown as he's mostly worked in a backup role.

Even though there were questions about Elliott's athleticism after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys during the offseason, he downplayed those concerns following Sunday's game.

“This probably is the best I’ve felt this late in a season,” Elliott said.