The New England Patriots have opened Gillette Stadium and notched their first win of the 2026 campaign in the process, taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-3.
It was a victory spearheaded by Mike Vrabel’s defense, which kept Aaron Rodgers and Co. in check throughout the afternoon. On top of the mere field goal allowed, New England’s defense got after Rodgers quite a bit, sacking him four times on the day. That included a back-breaking strip sack by Christian Barmore, which was picked up by Elijah Ponder and returned 19 yards for a touchdown in the early portions of the fourth quarter. That put any sort of Pittsburgh comeback out of reach and effectively put the game on cruise control.
The Patriots led for the bulk of the game, with TreVeyon Henderson, who was playing in his first contest of the season, popping off a 39-yard touchdown run to cap off New England’s second possession of the afternoon. The offense sandwiched a pair of field goals around halftime before the levees broke with the Ponder touchdown in the fourth quarter.
For Pittsburgh, it was a rough day at the office on offense. Rodgers completed 23 of his 39 passes for 187 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. The interception wasn’t necessarily Rodgers’ fault, as Germie Bernard couldn’t haul in a pass at the line of scrimmage; the ball popped up and was caught by New England’s Gabe Jacas. That possession before the turnover was the best that Pittsburgh had moved the ball, as it was a largely sluggish effort overall, averaging 3.5 yards per play.
Drake Maye completed 14-of-22 for 208 yards and an interception. Romeo Doubs led all pass catchers with 96 yards receiving, while Henderson finished with 76 yards on the ground to go along with his first-quarter touchdown.
From here, the Patriots will begin a two-game road trip, starting with a Week 3 matchup in Jacksonville against the Jaguars before heading to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 4. As for the Steelers, they’ll look to pick up the pieces and get back in the win column when they head back to Pittsburgh to face the Bengals in Week 3.
Steelers offense remarkably sluggish
The Steelers couldn’t get anything going on offense, averaging just 3.5 yards per play in the loss. They couldn’t sustain drives at all, converting just two of their 12 third-down opportunities. When they finally strung together some positive plays on offense in the fourth quarter, the miscues came in bunches.
A short pass to Jaylen Warren popped off for 26 yards and brought the Steelers to the Patriots’ 4-yard line. However, Rodgers held onto the ball too long on the next play from scrimmage as well and was taken down for a 13-yard sack. One play later, Rodgers threw a pass to Germie Bernard, who couldn’t secure the catch, the ball flew in the air and was snatched by Gabe Jacas.
The three points scored are tied for the fewest points in Aaron Rodgers’ career in a game he started and finished. Pittsburgh’s 499 total yards through two games are the fewest in any season of Rodgers’ career.
Welcome back, TreVeyon Henderson
After missing the opener due to an ankle injury, Henderson made his 2026 debut on Sunday and started his campaign off with a bang. On New England’s second possession of the day, the second-year back ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run to give the Patriots an early lead. He finished his day leading the backfield with 16 carries, 76 yards and that score.
This was the fifth career rushing touchdown of 30-plus yards, which is the most in the NFL since the start of last season.
Drake Maye still has turnover issues
While the Patriots notched the win, Drake Maye still had issues with ball security. On the opening possession of the second half, Maye threw an interception to Patrick Queen on a throw intended for Hunter Henry.
That now gives Maye 12 turnovers since the start of the 2025 playoffs. He had just 11 turnovers in 17 games played during the regular season.
Injuries pile up for Patriots
The win did come at a price as the Patriots suffered a slew of injuries on Sunday. Right guard Mike Onwenu was carted off with an ankle injury and was quickly ruled out by the team, while pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones was also ruled out for the game after suffering a shoulder injury.
On top of those two, tight end Eli Raridon (thigh), safety Dell Pettus (ankle), and safety Craig Woodson (shoulder) also were injured in the win.
