The Patriots didn’t just beat the Steelers on Sunday. They made Aaron Rodgers miserable, and the defense carried the day in a 20-3 win that looked far cleaner on that side of the ball than anywhere else.
Christian Elliss set the tone with the kind of blind-side hit that changes a game in a hurry, flattening Rodgers and forcing a second-quarter fumble that turned into a 36-yard loss on third down. Later, the Patriots slammed the door for good in the fourth quarter when Rodgers was steamrolled by Christian Barmore on second-and-21 from the Steelers 30.
Rodgers coughed it up again, Elijah Ponder scooped it and took it 19 yards for a touchdown, and suddenly it was 20-3. The Patriots finished with four sacks and seven other hits on Rodgers.
The offense, by contrast, was uneven. There were enough flashes to get the job done, but not much more.
Rhamondre Stevenson put the ball on the ground on the opening possession, and Drake Maye’s underthrows continued to create problems, including a third-quarter throw that Patrick Queen intercepted. If there was a recurring frustration, it was those throws that leave defenders a chance to recover and make a play.
Still, a few players stood out. Romeo Doubs, after a rough debut in the opener against the Seahawks, found his rhythm.
He had just one catch among the Patriots’ three wide receiver receptions in the first half, then broke loose after halftime with a 29-yard grab on the first drive of the third quarter. On the next play, Maye was picked by Queen.
Doubs later adjusted his route while Maye rolled right, then turned it into a 63-yard gain to the Steelers 29. He finished with three catches for 96 yards.
Tre Veyon Henderson also provided a spark the Patriots badly needed. He opened with a 5-yard run, then ripped through the middle of the defense for a 39-yard touchdown with 8:22 left in the first half to break a scoreless tie. Henderson still had too many carries that turned second and short into third and longer, finishing with 37 yards on his other 15 attempts, but the burst was real.
Christian Gonzalez spent the afternoon erasing DK Metcalf. The cornerback held him to four catches for 27 yards on nine targets and made the performance look even less productive than the stat line. Gonzalez also might have had a scoop-and-score after Elliss forced the fumble, but he couldn’t quite secure the ball.
There were a few other details that mattered. The Patriots’ injuries piled up, with offensive lineman Mike Onwenu carted off, edge Dre’Mont Jones leaving with a shoulder injury, and safety Craig Woodson and rookie tight end Eli Raridon also exiting. Raridon had a 30-yard catch in the first half and drew a pass interference penalty before leaving.
The final score landed better than the prediction did. The call was Patriots 20, Steelers 13.
The result was Patriots 20, Steelers 3. And while the offense left plenty to clean up, the defense gave the Patriots the kind of win that starts with violence up front and ends with the other team wishing the game had ended much sooner.
In Other News...
Patriots Are At The Center Of Another NFL Rules Crackdown
The NFL has tightened its game-day presentation rules in a move that again puts the Patriots in the middle of a familiar conversation about competitive edges. A new policy now limits what can be shown on video boards during field goal and extra point attempts, requiring either a static image or the same all-22 camera angle for both teams.
The change is designed to keep the visual backdrop identical on both sides and avoid the kind of confusion the Patriots were accused of creating during the Bill Belichick era. It is the latest reminder that when New England finds a loophole, the league tends to notice - and eventually close it. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Win Didn't Silence One Big Drake Maye Concern
The Patriots finally got into the win column with a 20-3 victory over the Steelers, but the cleanest part of the afternoon may have been the scoreboard rather than the performance. Mike Vrabel came away encouraged enough to trust Drake Maye, even as the young quarterbacks early-season decision-making and interception issues remained part of the conversation around the offense.
Maye did not duck the issue after the game, owning his mistakes and pointing the focus back to execution. For New England, the result offered some relief and a chance to build, but it did not erase the bigger questions about how consistently the offense can protect the ball and turn promising stretches into something more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
DK Metcalf Is Making The Patriots Look Smarter By The Week
The Patriots have spent years trying to land a true difference-maker at wide receiver, and that chase eventually led them to A.J. Brown in 2025. Before that, though, DK Metcalf had been one of the big names tied to New England, a player whose size and speed made him an obvious fit on paper for a team searching for a reliable field-stretcher and matchup problem on the outside.
Instead, Metcalf ended up in Pittsburgh, and the early returns have only sharpened the contrast. His production there has been shaky enough to make the Patriots old interest look more like a near miss than a lost opportunity, especially for a team that has been cautious about overpaying for wideouts. For New England, the larger takeaway is familiar: sometimes the move you dont make ends up looking just as important as the one you do. [Read more 🡒]