For the second consecutive week of the 2026 season, Drake Maye delivered a lackluster performance. Fortunately for him, Sunday did not require his best.
Behind a dominant defensive effort that overwhelmed Aaron Rodgers and a sluggish Pittsburgh Steelers offense, the Patriots secured a comfortable 20-3 victory.
New England’s defensive unit dislodged the football twice from the 42-year-old Steelers signal-caller. The initial fumble led to a massive loss of 36 yards, culminating in a punt on fourth-and-43. The subsequent turnover was recovered and returned for a touchdown, pushing New England’s lead to 20-3 and sealing the game.
The Patriots subsequently thwarted Pittsburgh’s most promising touchdown opportunity by picking off Rodgers, halting a 72-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.
Even when he managed to avoid turnovers or direct hits, Rodgers was plagued by relentless pressure, failing to generate any real momentum for the Pittsburgh offense.
Following the matchup, Rodgers admitted the Steelers’ offense was failing to do its part. In their Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons (20-13), the offense managed just 13 points, with a defensive touchdown by T.J. Watt ultimately securing the win.
“Our defensive unit is performing exceptionally, limiting opponents to just 13 points per matchup over these first two weeks,” Rodgers explained to the press. “Meanwhile, our offense is puttering along at around eight points per game, which simply isn’t a winning formula. When our defense keeps the opposition to 13, it’s our responsibility to walk away with a victory.”
The veteran quarterback emphasized that the offensive unit needs to step up and deliver a higher level of performance, taking personal accountability for the struggles. He added that neither he nor head coach Mike McCarthy would let panic set in.
“There won’t be any panic from my side,” Rodgers added. “And I don’t anticipate Mike panicking either. While we certainly need to play with more urgency, we are not going to lose our cool.”
A Difficult Outing for Rodgers
Connecting on 23 of his 39 pass attempts, Rodgers threw for 187 yards (averaging a meager 4.8 yards per pass) without a single touchdown and threw one pick. He was brought down for four sacks and hit an additional seven times. His chemistry with former Pro Bowler DK Metcalf was noticeably off, leaving the wide receiver with a quiet stat line of four receptions for 27 yards.
Not a single receiver for Pittsburgh surpassed the 35-yard receiving mark. Collectively, the Steelers’ offense sputtered to just 235 total yards, averaging only 3.5 yards per snap.
New England opened the scoring in the opening period courtesy of a 39-yard rushing touchdown by TreVeyon Henderson, who was making his season debut after sitting out the opener with an ankle sprain. In hindsight, that single play provided all the scoring the Patriots would require to seal the victory.
Trailing 10-0 in the second period, the Steelers found themselves deep in New England territory with a third-and-7 at the 22-yard line. However, Christian Elliss broke through to sack Rodgers, stripping the ball and initiating a chaotic chase as the football tumbled backward toward Pittsburgh’s end of the field.
Though Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu fell on the ball to secure it, the disastrous 36-yard setback completely derailed Pittsburgh’s hopes of scoring and left them with no choice but to punt on fourth down.
The Patriots defense struck again in the final quarter, prying the ball from Rodgers for a second time deep in Pittsburgh’s half. Christian Barmore collapsed the pocket from the interior to force the loose ball, which Elijah Ponder gathered and ran back 19 yards into the end zone.
A couple of drives later, the Steelers mounted their most cohesive offensive possession of the afternoon in a last-ditch bid to close the deficit.
However, receiver Germie Bernard was unable to secure a screen pass inside the red zone. The ball popped loose off his hands, allowing linebacker Gabe Jacas to snatch the interception and put a definitive end to the contest.
This stellar performance put the finishing touches on a dominant showing by the Patriots’ defensive unit, helping the team rebound from a frustrating Week 1 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, where they surrendered a 10-0 lead in the second half to lose 13-10.
Maye Did Just Enough
Following a three-turnover second half against Seattle, Maye’s performance on Sunday remained highly flawed. He made another poor decision on a deep ball, underthrowing Hunter Henry and allowing Patrick Queen to step in for an interception.
This turnover, occurring while New England held a slim 10-3 advantage, briefly kept Pittsburgh’s hopes alive.
Nevertheless, Maye did just enough to keep the offensive unit moving forward while the defense controlled the tempo. He concluded the game with 14 completions on 22 attempts, gaining 208 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.
Henderson led the ground attack for New England, accumulating 76 yards on 16 carries and scoring their sole offensive touchdown of the day.
Standing at 1-1, the Patriots will gladly accept the victory while aiming for a more cohesive overall showing in Week 3, which promises a tough test against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meanwhile, the 1-1 Steelers must prepare for a matchup against a potent Cincinnati Bengals team as they search for urgent solutions to their struggling offense.
