Pittsburgh Steelers Look To Take Down New England Patriots In Week 3

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a tough loss last week against the Seattle Seahawks and will aim for their second win of the season against the New England Patriots. New England earned their first win last week against the Miami Dolphins and will try to make it two in a row. Drake Maye will go up against Aaron Rodgers and a tough Steelers defense.

Steelers Loss Vs Seattle

The Steelers made too many mistakes, leading to a Seahawks victory. Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions, and RB Kaleb Johnson let the ball bounce over his head on a kickoff into the end zone, which led to the Seahawks diving on the ball and scoring a touchdown. Overall, when you play a sloppy game like Pittsburgh, you’re not going to win games in the NFL.

Another key to the game was the Steelers’ inability to stop the run once again. In two games, Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker have rushed for over 100 yards. While Pittsburgh’s defense is strong in the passing game, its run defense is among the worst in the entire NFL.

Dominate the Run

The Patriots’ game plan heading into Week 3 is simple: unleash the beasts. New England has yet to give second-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson a big workload, and now is the best time to do so. Rhamondre Stevenson hasn’t been great so far, so why not give Henderson a shot? The Steelers wouldn’t be able to stop him with his elite speed and vision.

Getting Henderson going early will benefit Drake Maye, who will have a daunting task ahead of him. With Jalen Ramsey expected to be on Stefon Diggs for most of the game, Maye will have to be creative as to who else he’ll look to target. If they can establish the running game, it will open lanes up for Maye in the passing game, and Hunter Henry could be in for a big game.

Let Metcalf Cook

As for the Steelers, they need to attack New England’s weak secondary. The Patriots ruled out their star Cornerback Christian Gonzalez for the third straight week, and it couldn’t be better news for DK Metcalf. The Patriots’ defense has struggled to defend the passing game, and Aaron Rodgers will look to deliver a vintage performance. There is no one else other than Gonzalez who could shut Metcalf down entirely, and Rodgers needs to look his way throughout the game.

Arthur Smith also needs to get Jonnu Smith involved in this game. The Patriots had a tough time against Brock Bowers in week 1, allowing him to record over 100 yards.  Smith hasn’t been involved much throughout the first two weeks, but that has to change tomorrow.

Matchups To Watch

Matchup #1: DK Metcalf vs. Patriots secondary. Metcalf should feast in this game, and he needs to be involved early. DK hasn’t had a game where he’s hauled in over 100 yards since September 30, 2024, against the Detroit Lions. When they’re paying Metcalf $30 million per season, he needs to take over a game and just dominate.

Matchup #2: Drake Maye vs. Steelers defense. Maye has been playing the best out of any quarterback that was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it’ll be exciting to see if he can keep it up against one of the best secondaries in the league.

Matchup #3: TreVeyon Henderson vs. the Patriots coaching staff. This matchup is interesting, but the Patriots need to get out of their own way and let Henderson do his thing. They can’t come out and put all of the pressure on Drake Maye early. Let Henderson get the start, and force the Pittsburgh Steelers to stop him.