Updated
Updated · Pats Pulpit · Sep 21
Patriots Beat Steelers 20-3 for First Win as Injuries Mount at 1-1
Updated
Updated · Pats Pulpit · Sep 21

Patriots Beat Steelers 20-3 for First Win as Injuries Mount at 1-1

3 articles · Updated · Pats Pulpit · Sep 21

Summary

  • New England opened its home schedule with a 20-3 win over Pittsburgh, moving to 1-1 behind a defense that smothered Aaron Rodgers and limited the Steelers to 187 passing yards.
  • TreVeyon Henderson’s 39-yard touchdown run provided the key offensive spark, while Elijah Ponder added a sack and fumble-return score and rookie Gabe Jacas grabbed an interception.
  • Drake Maye still looked shaky at times — including a bad interception — but avoided enough mistakes for the Patriots to control the game.
  • The victory was tempered by a fresh injury wave: Mike Onwenu is believed to have broken an ankle, while Dre’Mont Jones, Craig Woodson, Eli Raridon and Dell Pettus also left hurt.
  • Those absences, on top of A.J. Brown already being sidelined, leave New England’s depth under early strain heading into a Week 3 trip to 1-1 Jacksonville.

Insights

With Aaron Rodgers struggling to connect deep, can Mike McCarthy's simplified playbook save the Steelers' season before it's too late?
How did the highly anticipated Rodgers-Metcalf duo become a liability for an offense that just surrendered a devastating scoop-and-score?