All articles tagged with #patriots
The New England Patriots lost 29-26 to the Buffalo Bills in their first game at Highmark Stadium. Despite being heavy underdogs, New England secured a win via a two-point conversion by Rhamondre Stevenson, marking a rare positive result for a struggling offense.
Patriots win to reach .500 with a physical performance and several explosive plays, but Drake Maye remains inconsistent over roughly the last six games, a hurdle for his development that coaches will try to navigate. Meanwhile, Christian Gonzalez dominated DK Metcalf in multiple matchups, with advanced stats from Next Gen and PFF adding context to the eye test.
Drake Maye faced heavy pressure from Pittsburgh’s blitz-and-Cover-6 scheme, finishing 14-of-22 for 208 yards with an interception as the Patriots’ offense stalled in the red zone. New England leaned on the run game and a versatile defense highlighted by Christian Gonzalez, Gabe Jacas and Elijah Ponder, which dialed up pressure and disguises to harass the Steelers’ quarterback and swing the game. The win came thanks to the defense carrying the day while the offense remains a work in progress, underscoring Maye’s growth but also lingering questions for the unit.
Patriots win 20-3 over the Steelers, highlighted by five pivotal plays: perfect blocking on TreVeyon Henderson’s 39-yard TD, a Steelers protection breakdown on Christian Elliss’ strip sack, two deep Maye-to-Doubs passes including an interception, and Christian Barmore’s strip sack that set up Elijah Ponder’s game-clinching TD return.
Ex-Steeler Le'Veon Bell slammed DK Metcalf after yet another rough showing, criticizing his catching after two drops in Week 2 versus the Patriots; Metcalf finished with four catches for 27 yards, and the Steelers' offense remains in flux, prompting calls for others to step up while Metcalf works to rebound.
New England beat Pittsburgh 20-3 in Week 2 as a wave of young players shined: Elijah Ponder and Gabe Jacas produced pressure and a scoop-and-score, Christian Gonzalez locked down top receivers, Christian Barmore created disruption, and TreVeyon Henderson led the ground game with 16 carries for 78 yards. The defense also dialed up 18 blitzes to limit the Steelers to 43 passing yards. But injuries to several veterans (Onwenu, Dre’Mont Jones, Woodson, Raridon, Pettus) and the offense’s turnover issues with QB Drake Maye temper the win as the team looks to get healthy and refine the offense ahead of upcoming games.
Two weeks into the 2026 season, Drake Maye is struggling as Patriots quarterback with a subpar passer rating and multiple interceptions; Mike Vrabel publicly pushes Maye to be more decisive and less prone to turnovers, signaling the offense must improve even as the defense has carried the team.
New England defeated Pittsburgh 20-3 in Foxboro for their first win, with Drake Maye showing progress amid miscues, TreVeyon Henderson returning to spark the run game, and a wave of young defenders (Elijah Ponder, Gabe Jacas, Joshua Farmer, Quintayvious Hutchins) making impact plays while Christian Gonzalez shut down DK Metcalf; injuries are testing the Patriots' depth, officiating aside, and the team now faces a tough test at Jacksonville.
Patriots left guard Mike Onwenu left Saturday’s game vs. the Steelers with an ankle injury that early reports described as a broken ankle, potentially ending his season; New England won 20-3 as teammates called the moment heartbreaking and lauded his durability and leadership. With Onwenu set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, his future with the team remains uncertain following a reworked contract earlier in the year.
Post-Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo grades the Steelers by position after Week 2’s loss to the Patriots, with the offense receiving the harshest judgments as receivers and the offensive line struggle, Aaron Rodgers takes a beating, and coaching is criticized for an offense that hasn’t produced a TD through two games.
New England beat Pittsburgh 20-3 at Gillette to move to 1-1. Drake Maye threw for 208 yards with an INT and led a balanced attack that featured TreVeyon Henderson’s 76 rushing yards and a 39-yard TD; Romeo Doubs added 96 receiving yards. The Patriots’ defense tallied four sacks, with Elijah Ponder returning a fumble for a TD and Gabe Jacas grabbing an interception. Pittsburgh managed 187 passing yards and no TDs, while New England connected on two field goals via Borregales. An early injury to Onwenu forced a line shuffle, but the Pats kept pressure on the Steelers throughout.
The Patriots are watching to see how NFL defenses will attack Drake Maye in Year 3, with early indications that opponents may rely on a specific single-coverage approach to test the MVP runner-up.
Week 2 underscored early-season narratives: Bryce Young threw three TDs to lead Carolina past Atlanta 34-3; the Patriots used big plays and a relentless defense to topple Pittsburgh 20-3; the Eagles escaped Tennessee 24-20 behind a late-game surge from Jalen Hurts; New Orleans beat Baltimore 24-17; Cincinnati beat Houston 20-6; Green Bay outlasted the Jets 20-17 in OT; and several late-window games helped shape the week’s takeaways.
The Steelers listed seven inactives for Week 2 at New England, including CB Joey Porter Jr. (back) and WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot). Will Howard and Drew Allar are also inactive, with Gennings Dunker, Kevin Jobity Jr., and Gabriel Rubio as healthy scratches. Doneiko Slaughter and Travis Homer were elevated from the practice squad, and OT Troy Fautanu is active. The Patriots have six inactives: Behren Morton (3rd QB), Dametrious Crownover, Carlton Davis III, Leonard Taylor, Tanner Arkin, and Walter Rouse.
BSJ's live blog from Gillette Stadium has the Patriots leading the Steelers 10-3 in the third quarter, highlighted by TreVeyon Henderson's 39-yard touchdown. The update slate notes an injury to Patriots lineman Onwenu, various roster moves, and previews key matchups while Greg Bedard projects a Patriots win (24-16) in a rain-affected game.