New England Patriots: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Michael Onwenu News / NFLTradeRumors.co / September 22

Patriots Place OL Michael Onwenu On IR Among Three Roster Moves

The New England Patriots announced they have placed OL Michael Onwenu on injured reserve after he suffered a broken right ankle. The Patriots also signed P Mitch Wishnowsky to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and signed TE Tanner Conner to the practice squad.

NFL News / Athlon Sports / September 22

Drake Maye's Pocket Panic Under Pressure Exposed by Pro Football Focus

It’s an extremely lethal combination – Drake Maye’s happy feet and opponents cranking up the heat on the third-year quarterback. Fortunately, the New England Patriots survived it on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 20-3 victory.

Mike Vrabel News / Athlon Sports / September 22

Self-Inflicted Errors Are Sinking the Patriots' Offense — And Mike Vrabel Knows It

New England fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the Pats took care of business winning 20-3 over the Steelers to get them back to .500 on the season. And while the offense had some great plays during the game, it was the defense that has continued to turn heads through two weeks.

Kansas City Chiefs News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Most 300-yard, 3-TD NFL games' quiz

How many of the 46 NFL quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the same game at least 10 times in their career can you name in six minutes?

The 'NFL total passing-TD leaders' quiz

The '6-Passing-TD NFL games' quiz

The 'NFL season TD-pass leaders' quiz

New England Patriots News / Athlon Sports / September 22

New England Patriots Need Their Quarterback to Stop the Roller Coaster

The New England Patriots left their 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with more evidence that quarterback Drake Maye can make the rare throws. They also left with the same issue that could define their season: Too many snaps in which the decisive play arrives a beat late.

NFL News / Yardbarker

Ranking the NFL's backup quarterbacks for the 2026 season

A few trades have rearranged the NFL's backup quarterback ranks, but the dust has mostly settled. From a mix of recent first-round disappointments, aging vets, and young project types, here is how the league's QB2 ranks look for the 2026 season.

NFL News / NFL on ClutchPoints / September 22

Enjoy 45 seconds of Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez locking up DK Metcalf, talking trash

The New England Patriots held the Pittsburgh Steelers to just three points in their 20-3 Week 2 win on Sunday. It was an impressive performance from the defense, as Pittsburgh couldn’t get anything rolling offensively.

New England Patriots News / New England Patriots on SI / September 22

Patriots Week 2 Snap Count Analysis: Injuries Force Depth to Step Up

The New England Patriots suffered several injuries in their Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and head coach Mike Vrabel summed it up perfectly postgame.

New England Patriots News / New England Patriots on SI / September 22

Most Important Patriots Postgame Quotes From Week 2 — And What They Mean Moving Forward

The New England Patriots are back in the win column — their first win since the AFC title game in January — and they're enjoying it. The vibes were a complete 180 from their disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the season opener, and for good reason.

Mike Onwenu News / New England Patriots on SI / September 22

5 Patriots Who'll Need to Step Up to Help Replace Injured Mike Onwenu

The New England Patriots are going to have to make some changes to their starting offensive line this week. Right guard Mike Onwenu, who's been entrenched in the lineup since being drafted back in 2020, suffered an ankle injury that forced him to be carted off in the team's Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England Patriots News / Athlon Sports / September 21

Time to Hand Out Our Six Game Balls for the Patriots First Victory

With Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and some Monday afternoon film study, it’s time to hand out a few “game balls” to the New England Patriots.

NFL News / Yardbarker

25 NFL players who could retire after the 2026 season

NFL stars can't play forever, and retirement is coming sooner than later for some of the league's top players. These 25 players could call it quits following the 2026 season.

New England Patriots News / Athlon Sports / September 21

Is TreVeyon Henderson the Guy for Patriots or Was Mike Vrabel Just Frustrated?

Has Rhamondre Stevenson lost his “lead back” status to TreVeyon Henderson? Or is New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel simply fed up with turnovers just two games into the 2026 season?

New England Patriots News / NFL on ClutchPoints / September 21

Patriots’ Dre’Mont Jones injury update a good initial sign for Week 3

The New England Patriots earned a 20-3 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they lost one of their key players to injury during the game. Dre’Mont Jones suffered a left shoulder injury in the second quarter and went to the locker room, where he was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

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The 'Most 300-yard, 3-TD NFL games' quiz

The 'NFL all-time passing leaders' quiz

The 'FBS animal nicknames' quiz

The 'Most lefty-homers in a season' quiz

NFL News / Athlon Sports / September 21

Next Man Up: Ponder, Jacas, and Woods Elevate New England’s Defense Against Pittsburgh

While New England’s more accomplished defenders, namely Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, and Christian Gonzalez, played well, it was the depth players that stepped up and brought havoc all day for Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense.

New England Patriots News / NFL on ClutchPoints / September 21

Patriots HC Mike Vrabel states obvious on nasty Mike Onwenu injury that looks season-ending

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stopped short of declaring starting right guard Mike Onwenu’s season over, but his comments made it clear the 28-year-old is facing an extended absence after suffering a broken right ankle in Sunday’s 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England Patriots News / Stadium Rant / September 21

A.J. Brown Injury Creates A Brutal Test for Drake Maye Early in 2026

The A.J. Brown injury took one of the best toys New England gave Drake Maye this offseason and shelved it. Brown is now out until at least Week Six, which means Maye has to dig deeper into the Patriots’ toy box and figure out what else he can play with.

Mike Vrabel News / Viral Sports News / September 21

Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Calls Out His Own Player After Week 2 Win

The New England Patriots opened their home schedule with a 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but head coach Mike Vrabel still singled out second-year center Jared Wilson for a below-standard afternoon.

New England Patriots News / A to Z Sports / September 21

One overlooked move from this summer could end up bailing out the New England Patriots amid latest injury blow

The New England Patriots got some brutal news on Sunday — but things could have been much, much worse if not for an overlooked move this summer. The New England Patriots have made it 2 for 2 in games played this season with a gut-punch injury to someone on the offensive side of the football.

New England Patriots News / NFL on ClutchPoints / September 21

Insider clowns PFF for ridiculous Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez grade after shutting down DK Metcalf

New England Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez demonstrated why he deserved his significant contract extension after Sunday’s 20-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

New England Patriots News / Yardbarker / September 21

Pats' Vrabel addresses if Maye is dealing with confidence issues

Patriots' Mike Vrabel addresses if Drake Maye is dealing with confidence issues amid struggles

Maye finished second in 2025 MVP voting behind Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, but the 24-year-old did not play at such a level over the first two games of the ongoing campaign.

Browns HC Todd Monken fires back at Mike Tomlin after Week 2 win

NFL makes big rule change regarding scoreboard images during field-goal attempts

Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. gets surprisingly bad news about his trade future

The 'Winning NFL playoff debuts' quiz

Mike Onwenu News / NFLTradeRumors.co / September 20

Patriots G Mike Onwenu Suffers Broken Right Ankle

Mike Reiss of ESPN reports that initial X-rays showed that Patriots G Mike Onwenu has a broken right ankle. Steelers OLB T.J. Watt fell on Onwenu’s leg while sacking QB Drake Maye.

Michael Onwenu News / Pro Football Rumors / September 20

Pats G Michael Onwenu Feared To Have Season-Ending Leg Injury

The Patriots won a 20-3 blowout over the Steelers on Sunday, but they may have lost starting right guard Michael Onwenu for the long haul. Onwenu is feared to have suffered a season-ending leg injury, insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Elijah Ponder News / Field Level Media / September 20

Elijah Ponder defensive touchdown puts capper on Patriots' win over Steelers

Linebacker Elijah Ponder had a sack and also returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown to help the New England Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

NFL News / Yardbarker / September 20

Steelers offense looks as bad as ever, and everyone is to blame

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has a solid day for itself on Sunday. The problem is the Steelers offense was so bad, so helpless, and so downright abysmal that the Steelers not only lost; they lost by 17 points

DK Metcalf gets the memes for his horrific drops in Week 2

Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. saga takes new injury twist

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts makes Titans' Jeffery Simmons eat crow

Bryce Young continues career dominance of Falcons in Week 2 blowout

The 'Super Bowl-losing QBs' quiz

Mack Hollins News / NFLTradeRumors.co / September 20

Patriots WR Mack Hollins Reworked Incentives To Avoid Being Released

Patriots WR Mack Hollins reworked his incentives before the season to make them harder to reach and to avoid being released by the Patriots, per Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “Nobody wants to change anything, but that’s sometimes what happens,” Hollins said.

NFL News / Yardbarker / September 18

Steelers announce Joey Porter Jr.'s status for Week 2 game vs. Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers soap opera with Joey Porter Jr. reached its next act on Friday afternoon when the team officially ruled the cornerback out for their Week 2 game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Report reveals why Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. are at an impasse amid contract standoff

Joey Porter Jr. reportedly feels this way about Steelers as details on rejected contract offer emerge

Saga involving Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. takes new twist ahead of Patriots game

Multiple teams might join the Joey Porter Jr. trade sweepstakes after Week 2

NFL executive reveals what Steelers could get in trade for Joey Porter Jr.

The 'Most playoff starts by an NFL QB' quiz

NFL News / Yardbarker / September 17

Robert Spillane warns Patriots about Steelers' Aaron Rodgers after Week 1

It doesn't sound like Spillane and the Patriots will be taking Rodgers and the Steelers lightly in Week 2.

Steelers offense knows exactly where it needs to improve after Week 1

Report reveals why Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. are at an impasse amid contract standoff

Drake Maye addresses moving on from mistakes against Seahawks, loss of A.J. Brown

Three NFL teams that need to avoid an 0-2 start

The 'Most 2-TD, 0-INT NFL games' quiz

Mack Hollins News / Pro Football Rumors / September 17

Pats Considered Releasing Mack Hollins?

Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins agreed to amend his contract before the team assembled its initial 53-man roster in late August, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.