The Patriots and Steelers have spent decades stacking wins, rings and big-game moments, and Sunday adds another chapter to a series that has stretched all the way to 37 meetings. This one lands at Gillette Stadium, where New England will try to keep a rivalry that has tilted sharply in its favor over the years pointed in the same direction.
The big picture still belongs to the Patriots. They lead the overall series 19-17, and that edge gets even more pronounced when the games start carrying real weight.
Pittsburgh has won 16 of the 31 regular-season matchups, but New England has owned the postseason meetings, taking four of five. The Patriots beat the Steelers in a 1996 AFC divisional game, then knocked them out in the AFC Championship Game in 2001, 2004 and 2016.
Pittsburgh’s only playoff win over New England came in 1997. At home, the Patriots are 7-5 against the Steelers overall and 6-2 at Gillette Stadium.
That dominance did not begin right away. The first meeting, back in Week 6 of the 1972 season at Three Rivers Stadium, was a 33-3 Steelers win and still stands as Pittsburgh’s most lopsided victory in the series.
Jim Plunkett was picked off twice, the Patriots turned it over four times, and Pittsburgh piled up seven sacks. The only New England points came on a 16-yard Charlie Gogoloak field goal in the third quarter.
The Steelers finished 11-3 that season, while the Patriots went 3-11.
The rivalry’s signature game came in the 2001 AFC Championship Game, and it had all the ingredients: a heavy favorite, a hostile crowd and a Patriots team that found a way anyway. New England entered as a 10-point underdog in Pittsburgh, lost Tom Brady early to an ankle injury and still pulled off a 24-17 win.
Drew Bledsoe hit David Patten for a touchdown just before halftime, but Troy Brown changed the game. He opened the scoring with a 55-yard punt return touchdown, then recovered a blocked field goal and lateraled it to Antwan Harris for a 49-yard return touchdown.
The Patriots forced four turnovers and walked out with the upset.
The most recent meeting came in Week 3 of the 2025 season, during the early stretch of the Mike Vrabel era. It was messy for New England from the start.
Drake Maye was sacked five times and committed an interception and a fumble, while Rhamondre Stevenson lost the ball twice and Antonio Gibson also coughed it up once. Robert Spillane picked off Pittsburgh on the other side, and Maye did help force a tie with a touchdown to Hunter Henry on the first play of the fourth quarter.
But the Patriots gave it right back on the next drive, and Pittsburgh cashed in for a 21-14 win.
Now the Steelers come to Foxborough for New England’s first home game of the season. The Patriots are looking to bounce back from a 13-10 loss in Seattle, while Pittsburgh arrives off a 20-13 win over the Falcons.
Sunday kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Robert Kraft Is Now At The Center Of A Growing NFL Controversy
Robert Kraft has landed in the middle of a messy music-world fight after reportedly pushing Macklemore off Ed Sheerans tour in response to comments the rapper made during a Sept. 4 show. Kraft, who cited those remarks and a history of antisemitic rhetoric as reasons for the removal, also made a $2 million pledge for humanitarian aid after a phone call with Sheeran, turning what started as a concert controversy into something much bigger.
The story has quickly widened beyond two performers and one tour stop. Other stadium owners, including David Tepper, Arthur Blank and Jeffrey Lurie, were reported to back Krafts stance, while several of Sheerans opening acts have since withdrawn from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving the situation unresolved and the fallout still spreading. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Coaches Are Already Talking Up One Rookies Week 1 Impact
Namdi Obiazor didnt need a flash play to make an impression in his first regular-season outing. The rookie linebacker was mostly a special teams presence in the Patriots opener, logging 20 snaps there and making two tackles on kickoffs, a useful debut for a player still working behind other linebackers on the depth chart.
What stood out was how quickly New Englands coaches moved to spotlight him. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and inside linebackers coach Vinny DePalma both praised Obiazors effort and upside, suggesting the Patriots already view him as more than a fill-in on coverage units. If that early trust holds, his role on special teams could become one of the more interesting rookie developments to follow this season. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Injury Report Could Change Everything Against Pittsburgh
The Patriots Week 2 prep has already taken on a different feel with the injury report becoming as important as the matchup itself. New England released its latest list alongside Pittsburgh, and it offers a clearer picture of who is tracking toward Sunday and who is still working through problems. For the Patriots, the mix is uneven: Dametrious Crownover and Carlton Davis III were among the players who did not take part in recent practices because of injuries, while Robert Spillane and TreVeyon Henderson are expected to suit up.
Pittsburgh has its own questions, with Michael Pittmans status uncertain and Joey Porter Jr. looking unlikely to play. For a game that could hinge on a handful of matchups and a few key absences, both sides are monitoring the final availability closely. The Patriots will get a better sense of how much flexibility they have only when the rest of the weeks practice work is done, and there is still room for the picture to shift before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]