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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The New England Patriots have earned their first win of the 2026 season, taking down the Steelers, 20-3. Drake Maye completed 14-of-22 for 208 yards and an interception. TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown, while the defense generated two turnovers (including a scoop-and-score). Aaron Rodgers completed 23-of-39 for 187 yards and an interception.
The Steelers have apparently waved the white flag. Aaron Rodgers is on the bench and Mason Rudolph is now in at quarterback.
Christian Barmore manhandled his blocker and got a hand on Rodgers to force the fumble. Elijah Ponder was then able to pick up the loose ball and pull off the 19-yard scoop-and-score
It's now a 13-3 lead for New England after Andy Borregales netted a 45-yard field goal. Nice bounce-back for Borregales after missing the 47-yard attempt on the previous possession.
The drops continue for DK Metcalf, who had a third-down pass from Rodgers that would've moved the chains fall in and out of his hands. Metcalf has 2 catches for 2 yards on five targets today...
Woof. Borregales' 47-yard attempt is not good (wide right). The Steelers will gain possession at their own 29-yard line, and it's still a one-possession lead.
On just his second carry after the fumble in the first half, Rhamondre Stevenson powered through a 24-yard gain to get the Patriots into Steelers territory.
The Patriots have downgraded linebacker Dre'Mont Jones to OUT due to a shoulder injury.
The turnovers are starting to pile up for Drake Maye this season. The Patriots QB had pressure but totally missed Hunter Henry, underthrowing him and allowing Patrick Queen to pull off the interception.
After.a rough debut against Seattle, Romeo Doubs helps move the chains on third down, connecting with Drake Maye for a 29-yard gain.
The Patriots were called for a delay-of-game penalty right before halftime after Mike Vrabel tried to call a timeout after there was already a timeout on the field on the previous play. That moved the ball from the New England 42-yard line, and Aaron Rodgers tossed a quick 4-yard pass to Roman Wilson to set up the 56-yard field goal by Chris Boswell. Not the sharpest moment for the defending Coach of the Year.
The injuries are starting to pile up for the Patriots. Now, it's Marcus Jones who is down on the field in noticeable pain. New England is already without Carlton Davis, so the cornerback room is quite thin.
Linebacker Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder) and safety Dell Pettus (ankle) are QUESTIONABLE to return.
The Steelers faced a fourth-and-43 (you read that right) after recovering an Aaron Rodgers fumble.
The Patriots have taken a 10-0 lead thanks to a chip-shot field goal by Borregales. Clunky red zone execution by the Patriots offense led to the field goal attempt.
The Patriots have quickly ruled Onwenu out for the game due to an ankle injury. Here's a look at the play where he went down.
Not great for the Patriots offensive line as Mike Onwenu is down on the field with the cart coming out. Onwenu has been a mainstay at right guard over the last few years. Greg Van Roten would be the next man up at right guard.
Boswell's 59-yard attempt goes wide left, and the Patriots maintain a 7-0 lead. The Pittsburgh offense hasn't been able to find much consistency, averaging 3.2 yards per play.
New England needed some explosion in their offense, especially with A.J. Brown sidelined. They got that from Henderson, who ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run. It's a 7-0 Patriots lead.
The Stevenson fumble didn't compound into a larger issue for the Patriots, as the defense forced another three-and-out. Rookie pass rusher Gabe Jacas was a noticeable standout on the drive, not biting on a Rodgers play-action pass and providing pressure, which led to an incompletion.
Flashbacks of 2025. When these two teams played one another last year, the story was the slew of turnovers committed by the Patriots, namely by Rhamondre Stevenson. Fast forward to this matchup, and that issue has reared its head again. Stevenson hauled in a pass from Drake Maye and had the ball popped free. Pittsburgh recovers.
