Patriots Won 20-3 Over Steelers Behind Defensive Dominance

The Steelers made it into Patriot territory before Chris Boswell trotted out for a 57-yard field goal attempt. However, his attempt was wide left. The Patriots’ ensuing drive, which bled into the second quarter, stalled at the Pittsburgh 12-yard line, where Andy Borregales nailed a 30-yard chip shot.

Despite driving up to the New England 22-yard line, a sack and fumble from Aaron Rodgers resulted in a loss of 36 yards and cost the Steelers a possible three points. However, the Steelers ended the first half with a 56-yard field goal from Boswell to make it 10-3 Patriots after the first half.

Despite marching into Steelers’ territory to start the third quarter, Maye threw an interception to kill the rally. The Steelers’ first two drives of the second half both ended in punts. Borregales wound up missing a 47-yard field goal wide right on the Patriots’ second drive of the half. However, he made up for it with a make from 45 yards out to make it 13-3 with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.

Their third drive, which bled into the fourth quarter, ended with a strip sack from Christian Barmore, which Elijah Ponder recovered and took it 19 yards for the score. The next drive, Pittsburgh drove down the Patriots’ four-yard line. However, after a sack, a wide receiver screen for Germie Bernard bounced off his hands and was intercepted by rookie Gabe Jacas. He ended the game with three tackles to accompany his pick.

For insult to injury, Rodgers got roughed up and had to leave the game while making the tackle following his interception. He ended the night going 23-for-39 with 187 yards and an interception. Both teams exchanged punts before New England kneeled out the rest of the clock.

What Went Right For The Patriots: Rushing Game Firing

After Stevenson’s opening drive fumble, Henderson made an immediate impact on the next drive, where he scored his touchdown. He finished the game with 76 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. The Patriots having their big play threat back in the fold did wonders for them. After Henderson’s touchdown run, Stevenson’s reps improved as well, notching 38 yards on five carries after his opening drive fumble. Having a 1-2 punch at the running back position benefitted the Patriots last year, and worked for them in this game.

Defense Showing Out

The defense was the biggest reason why the Patriots won 20-3. They combined for four sacks, but Elijah Ponder had five tackles, including three tackles for loss. Christian Elliss led all players with 12 tackles in the game as well. Not only that, D.K. Metcalf was held to four receptions for 27 yards on nine targets. When being guarded by Christian Gonzalez, Metcalf had two catches for two yards on four targets. Gonzalez has as many pass breakups (3) as he has catches allowed (3) thus far through the first two games while in coverage.

Although both defenses notched a pair of turnovers, the Patriots’ takeaways came at the perfect times to steal momentum away from Pittsburgh. The scoop-and-score acted as the beginning of the end. Rodgers’ interception came on the Steelers’ most successful drive of the day, when they drove all the way down to the New England four-yard line, and served as the nail in the coffin for the Steelers’ chances of winning the game. The Patriots didn’t allow many third-down conversions either, as the Steelers went 2-for-12 on third downs and were forced to punt in nine of their 12 drives.

Steelers Not Using Warren More

Jaylen Warren was the most dynamic player for the Steelers in this game, leading the Steelers with 43 yards rushing on 11 carries, while catching two passes for 34 yards. The biggest example of his impact can be seen on their most successful offensive drive. Warren was a big reason for Pittsburgh marching inside the Patriots’ five-yard line in the fourth, where he tallied 44 of the 75 yards the Steelers gained by himself. Overall, he averaged nearly six yards per touch and was more efficient on his runs than Rico Dowdle, with Warren averaging 3.9 yards per carry to Dowdle’s 3.1, while averaging 17 yards per catch.

What Went Wrong For The Patriots: Maye Still Not Back To Himself

Maye played better than he did in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks, which isn’t a high bar to reach, however. Maye went 14-for-22 for 208 yards and an interception. However, New England could’ve put the game out of reach sooner had he not severely underthrown Hunter Henry on his interception.

Maye’s underthrows are giving defenders the opportunity to jump back into the play, just like on his interception to open the third quarter. Eli Raridon’s sole catch of the game was on a throw that was underthrown by Maye enough to draw another pass interference call. Even on Romeo Doubs 29-yard catch on the opening drive of the third quarter, Maye still underthrew him, even if it was only slightly. Maye is leaving points on the board because of this bad habit.

The Constant Injuries

Mike Onwenu got injured late in the first quarter when T.J. Watt inadvertently landed on Onwenu’s ankle, and he didn’t return. Onwenu has been a staple of the Patriots’ offensive line since 2020, starting 91 games in that span.

Eli Raridon left with a thigh injury; Dre’Mont Jones had to leave the game with a shoulder injury, and Marcus Jones was down on the field grabbing his knee late in the first half, although he eventually returned. All of this is on top of Carlton Davis III missing the game with a neck injury. Safeties Dell Pettus and Craig Woodson both left the game with injuries of their own as well. The Patriots’ overall depth is being tested early, so the Patriots will have to hope these injuries aren’t major and force significant time to be missed, especially with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the schedule for next week.

The End Of My Rant

The Patriots needed a win after the unfortunate circumstances of last week’s loss, and they did just that with a suffocating defensive effort on their part. Although Drake Maye didn’t perform spectacularly, he did enough to make sure the Patriots didn’t lose. New England looks to carry that into their next matchup against the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Pittsburgh will look to get into the win column again as they match up against the Cincinnati Bengals in week three.