5 huge positives and 3 blatant negatives from Patriots' win over Steelers

We are heading into Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season, which means the Patriots are about to go on a two-week road trip to face the Jaguars and then the Bills to finish the first quarter of the year. They are fortunate to be 1-1, which could easily have been 2-0 or even 0-2, but they have a chance to make it even better with a win over a rising AFC contender next Sunday.

From what we've seen so far, it's not easy to say they can walk away with a win in Jacksonville, given some concerning early-season developments, most notably Drake Maye's poor decision-making.

However, there are plenty of positives to take away, too, especially after getting the much-needed win over the Steelers this past week, and that's enough to be excited about moving forward. That's a much better position to be in than how things looked after the fourth-quarter disaster against the Seahawks, and that shows they can make the improvements needed to compete at a high level.

Now, they just need to keep the positives going and fix their most glaring weaknesses. That way they can get back in the conversation as one of the leading competitors in the AFC before long.

5 positives and 3 negatives to take away from the Patriots' Week 2 win

Positive: TreVeyon Henderson brought a spark to the offense

One of the least concerning groups on the Patriots roster going into the 2026 season was their backfield, with Rhamondre Stevenson remaining the starter and TreVeyon Henderson expected to have a bigger role in Year 2.

Some argued that Henderson should have maybe jumped over the veteran to become the offense's go-to, even if Stevenson seemed to put his fumbling woes behind him early last year. But that issue resurfaced on Sunday, prompting him to be benched for part of the game and giving Henderson a big opportunity to make an impact.

He missed last week's game against the Seahawks due to a practice injury, and in his return, he immediately made an impact with a 39-yard touchdown to put the Patriots on the board early.

Although he didn't keep that momentum for the rest of the game, he showed some reliability in the run game after Stevenson's turnover and proved he can still make explosive plays when given the chance. We'll just need to see more of that the rest of the season.

Negative: Drake Maye's decision-making is looking worse

It's not ideal to worry about your starting quarterback after back-to-back games of questionable play, but that's where the Patriots are with Drake Maye.

Just last year, he was the runner-up for the MVP Award, falling only behind Matthew Stafford, yet the player we have seen over the past two weeks is far from the poised quarterback we all watched in awe last season.

His questionable decisions, most of which have led to turnovers, and his apparent uncomfortable demeanor have many analysts and fans worried about what the 2026 season might look like, especially with so many tough teams left on the schedule.

Maye isn't playing at the level he has over the last three years, and it's hard to tell what has changed to explain this shift in his performance. It could be due to a change within his receiving corps again, with Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs both gone. But that doesn't feel like a good enough explanation for what we're seeing.

The hope is that he can figure it out and get out of his head to revert to the MVP-caliber player he was last season and lead the Patriots to plenty of success this year.

Positive: The offensive line is holding up a lot better than expected so far

After watching the offensive line's performance in the Super Bowl, it was clear that the Patriots needed major changes if they wanted to ensure their franchise quarterback was properly protected and the offense had its best shot at success.

That meant Will Campbell needed to put in extra work this offseason, which he did by training with some of the league's best tackles and moving Jared Wilson from left guard to center, the position he played in college. They also needed a reliable starting guard with plenty of experience, which brought Alijah Vera-Tucker to New England.

They faced a brutal test to start the year against the Seahawks, who arguably have the league's best defensive line. But the new group exceeded expectations in that game, with their downfall coming late in the fourth quarter when everything fell apart.

They didn't allow a sack until five minutes remained in the game, and although their performance wasn't as good against the Steelers on Sunday, there was a noticeable improvement in Campbell's protection and Vera-Tucker's overall play.

The group will be tested more moving forward due to Mike Onwenu's likely season-ending injury, which is unfortunate. But with the depth the Patriots have, there's hope they can find the right guy to step up and make the transition from Onwenu as seamless as possible.

Negative: Injuries are starting to pile up, especially at key positions, which will test the roster early

Going into the season already down a few key players, like punter Bryce Baringer, linebacker Harold Landry, and special teamer Brenden Schooler, was bad enough for the Patriots.

It has only worsened over the last two weeks, though, as they have already lost wide receiver A.J. Brown to a high ankle sprain and now Mike Onwenu, who exited Sunday's game with a broken ankle.

The offense will be put to the test moving forward, with the rest of the receiving corps hoping to make up for a loss as significant as Brown, whom the Patriots have wanted for far too long. The offensive line will need to show they can be as consistent as Onwenu, who has only missed two games in his career.

The defense will have their share of obstacles, too, particularly if Dre'Mont Jones has to miss any time after suffering a shoulder injury. Fortunately, it's been so far, so good for young defenders stepping up, but they'll have to keep that going even more if Jones is now sidelined, as well.

Positive: Romeo Doubs didn't let a Week 1 flop derail his Patriots future

Expectations weren't exactly high for Romeo Doubs in his Patriots' debut, mostly because the focus was all on A.J. Brown. But he didn't seem like a player to overlook, given how impressive he was with the Packers early in his career.

Unfortunately, he proved the lack of excitement right by having a memorable performance for all the wrong reasons, dropping an easy pass and bobbling another into an interception.

It meant he needed to have a bounce-back game in Week 2 in the worst way, and it would be fair to say he accomplished that and then some with a stellar 63-yard catch and ended the day with three receptions for 96 yards, both career highs.

It was the kind of performance fans were hoping for, since Doubs is supposed to be the WR2 and he was very much needed with Brown sidelined, and he showed he could rise to the occasion. Now he has to prove he can keep it up over the next few weeks, and he will have good opportunities to do that against the Jaguars next Sunday.

Positive: Young defenders are really stepping up to the plate to start the year

Concerns about whether enough moves were made to improve the defensive line, especially the pass rush, lingered as the 2026 season began, and for the most part, they were completely warranted.

Harold Landry missed almost all of the offseason due to an injury and remains sidelined with no return in sight. Worse, the Patriots chose not to re-sign K'Lavon Chaisson, who recorded the second-most sacks in 2025, putting all new players in key positions to make an immediate impact.

The problem was that those players are young and unproven, except for Dre'Mon Jones, who was brought in to replace Chaisson but didn't inspire much optimism among analysts and fans about making that happen.

That meant rookie Gabe Jacas and second-year players Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, and Elijah Ponder were thrust into bigger roles than they otherwise would be in so early in their careers. And fortunately for the Patriots, they have almost all delivered through the first two weeks.

Jacas has had some flashy moments so far, recording a sack and an interception already. Ponder had the best game of his career against the Steelers on Sunday, recovering a fumble and returning it for a touchdown to seal the win.

The others have had their moments, too, proving that relying on the young and hungry players on the roster wasn't as bad a decision as many anticipated it would be. We'll just have to hope they can keep the momentum going against some even tougher opponents over the next few weeks.

Negative: Inconsistency from key players will become more problematic the longer it continues

Part of football is knowing that not every game will be perfect, whether it ends in a win or a loss, and players won't play their best every week. But when those inconsistencies become more common, the team needs to worry.

Those concerns might come up in the conversation for a few players after Week 2, particularly around running back Rhamondre Stevenson and kicker Andy Borregales.

Both haven't been the most relaible over the past two years, with Stevenson's fumbling woes returning against the Steelers after having not turning the ball over since Week 5 last season, and Borregales missing another field goal which wastes another offensive drive.

Heading into two road games, they'll need to put those worries behind them if they want a legitimate chance to finish the first month with a 3-1 record, and that won't happen if Stevenson keeps turning the ball over at critical moments and Borregales misses more kicks.

Positive: Christian Gonzalez appears to have avoided the curse that often comes with a massive contract extension

More often than not, it has been seen across the league that once a superstar player receives an extension, especially one that broke records or came after a holdout, that player doesn't live up to their new salary, prompting many questions about whether they truly deserved the new contract.

That hasn't been the case so far with Christian Gonzalez, who has only gone on to prove the Patriots were right to make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history over the last two weeks. If anything, it proved they should've reached an agreement much sooner than two days before their season opener.

He began the season by shutting down the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, shadowing Jaxon Smith-Njigba for much of the game against the Seahawks, then followed up by eliminating DK Metcalf in this past Sunday's matchup with the Steelers, leaving the receiver beyond frustrated.

Gonzalez will remain the main attraction in the secondary for the rest of the season, with his next challenge coming against the Jaguars, who have Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers to worry about. Maybe even Parker Washington.

No matter what, it's clear the defense can rely on the cornerback, and he is going to continue being their most consistent player on the field.

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