The Patriots’ first two weeks have delivered a pretty clear split screen: a defense playing like it can carry the load, and an offense still searching for something sturdier. With New England sitting at 1-1 and heading to Jacksonville, the stock report is starting to separate the players who are helping this team hold together from the ones who need to find another gear.
Christian Gonzalez belongs firmly on the rise. He spent Sunday glued to DK Metcalf, limiting him to four catches for 27 yards on nine targets.
Gonzalez said it was one of the matchups he knew he’d be assigned to as soon as the schedule came out, and he handled it cleanly. New England gave up only one completion longer than 20 yards all game, a 26-yarder to Jaylen Warren, and Pittsburgh finished at 4.8 yards per completion.
That’s the kind of work that turns a secondary into a problem for every opponent on the schedule.
Will Campbell is climbing too. He gave up just one quarterback hit across 29 snaps Sunday, and through two games he’s posted an 81.7 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranks seventh among 66 qualified tackles. It tracks with what he showed over the summer in joint practices against the Eagles and with the way he’s responded after last year’s playoff struggles.
Gabe Jacas keeps stacking reasons to pay attention. He picked off Aaron Rodgers for the first interception of his career, and through two weeks he already has a sack, an interception and a tackle for loss.
The concern in the summer was how he’d handle option looks and mobile quarterbacks, but that hasn’t really been put to the test yet. That comes in Week 4 against Buffalo.
For now, the pass-rush upside is obvious.
Romeo Doubs also moved in the right direction. After being held without a catch in Week 1, he led the Patriots in receiving against Pittsburgh and hauled in three of his four targets.
His 63-yard grab from Drake Maye was the longest play of his career and came with him completely uncovered. After drawing attention for saying he wasn’t locked in enough in the opener, Doubs answered with production.
Elijah Ponder made his mark in a different way. He turned defense into points with a scoop-and-score that helped push the Patriots to a three-score lead in the fourth quarter.
He also added value in the run game with a team-high three tackles for loss. With the offense still sputtering, that kind of scoring help from the defense matters.
Christian Elliss was another defensive force. He came flying in from behind to hit Aaron Rodgers and jar the ball loose, and New England had a chance at a scoop-and-score if Gonzalez could have gathered it in.
The ball rolled past midfield before Pittsburgh recovered. Elliss finished with 12 tackles, part of a day that helped hold the Steelers to three points.
TreVeyon Henderson lands in the middle. His season debut looked a lot like his late-season work from last year, when he averaged 70.1 yards per game on 14 carries per game over the final eight games.
Against Pittsburgh, he ran 16 times for 76 yards and a touchdown, with most of the damage coming on a 39-yard score in the first quarter. Solid, but not a major swing.
Drake Maye goes in the other direction. The Patriots need more from him if they’re going to beat quality teams, and 13 points per game won’t get the job done.
He’s thrown four interceptions against one touchdown, and the issues have shown up in short throws and in those moments when he drifts back into off-balance throws he doesn’t need to make. The calm, accurate version of Maye from last season hasn’t shown up yet this year.
Rhamondre Stevenson is also sliding. He got only six carries Sunday after another fumble against the Steelers.
That’s become a frustrating pattern: three of his last four fumbles have come against Pittsburgh. He had gone 13 games without one before that, which made this latest lapse sting even more.
Stevenson did bounce back with a 24-yard run after returning, but the ball-security problem is still hanging around.
Jared Wilson had a rough day as well. Mike Vrabel said it plainly Monday: Sunday was a struggle for Wilson.
He had some good moments blocking downfield in the run game, but his pass protection was a problem and there was too much pressure coming up the middle. Vrabel also said, “That wasn’t one of Jared’s better games,” and later added, “I think he can protect better,” and “I know he can protect better.
I’ve seen him protect better.” Through two weeks, Wilson’s 27.3 pass-block grade ranks 31st among 32 qualified centers according to Pro Football Focus.
In Other News...
Mac Jones Just Became A Painful Patriots What-If Again
Mac Jones is back in the conversation in a way Patriots fans know all too well: not as a starter in New England, but as the quarterback who left town, found a steadier footing elsewhere and suddenly looks like he may have been worth more than the return the Patriots got. After being traded to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick following a rough 2023 season, Jones resurfaced with the 49ers in 2025 and handled starting duty well enough to reignite the old debate about what he might have been if things had broken differently in Foxborough.
The latest wrinkle is that San Francisco plans to keep him as a backup in 2026, even as his play has reportedly attracted interest around the league. Teams such as the Falcons and Commanders could be part of any trade discussion, and Jones' pending free agency in 2027 only adds another layer to a situation that feels very much alive again. For the Patriots, it is another reminder that the Mac Jones era has not stayed neatly in the past. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Have A Rare Chance To Buy Low On Marvin Harrison Jr
A.J. Browns injury has only sharpened the need for teams around the league to think creatively about receiver help, and it has pushed Marvin Harrison Jr. into the conversation for New England. The Patriots have been searching for more offensive weapons, and Harrisons limited early production has only added to the idea that Arizona could be facing an awkward early-stage evaluation of a highly touted young pass catcher.
For the Patriots, the appeal is obvious: a chance to buy low on a receiver whose talent still makes him worth betting on, even if the fit has not yet fully clicked elsewhere. The question is whether New England would see him as a piece that could grow with its offense and whether Arizona would even entertain moving him, but the possibility alone gives the Patriots a rare kind of swing at a premium position. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Suddenly Have A Bigger Offensive Line Problem Than Expected
The Patriots offensive line took a hit this week when Mike Onwenu was placed on injured reserve with a fractured right ankle, a setback that will sideline him at least four games and could end his season. Onwenu had been a key part of New Englands protection up front, and losing him now forces the team to adjust again in the middle of a stretch where stability on the interior has already been hard to come by.
Greg Van Roten has stepped into Onwenus starting spot at right guard, giving the Patriots a veteran replacement as they try to keep the line together. In a corresponding move, New England promoted punter Mitch Wishnowsky from the practice squad to the active roster to help fill out the depth chart, another reminder that one injury can ripple beyond a single position when the roster is already being managed carefully. [Read more 🡒]