Heading into their Week 3 matchup against the Steelers, the Patriots aim to extend their win streak and beat another familiar AFC foe, further proving they are an improved team. They looked as much against the Dolphins last Sunday, especially offensively, and building upon that would certainly provide some optimism for the rest of the year.
Their season-opening performance against the Raiders prompted numerous concerns about the start of the Mike Vrabel era, following a highly hyped offseason that had many believing they could be a sneaky playoff contender as soon as this fall.
While there's still a chance that could become a reality, they have a tough battle ahead of them with the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers coming to town this weekend. Their revamped offense, which also added wide receiver D.K. Metcalf earlier this year, is expected to be much tougher than the Patriots' first two opponents, which could also be said about their defense.
Former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt is already on a hot streak to start the year in Pittsburgh, but his defensive teammates are already being plagued with injuries, which could give the Patriots a bit of an upper hand in this matchup that they otherwise wouldn't have.
The Steelers have already ruled out some of their best defensive talent ahead of Week 3
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Steelers already ruled out defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.
In their final injury report ahead of Sunday's matchup, Pittsburgh also declared several other players out including S DeShon Elliott, CB Joey Porter Jr., and OL Max Scharping.
Final injury report of the week for the Patriots and Steelers. Pittsburgh will be missing a couple of defensive starters in this one. pic.twitter.com/iOqZpNcEi9
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) September 19, 2025
That means the Steelers will be without one of their starting safeties and cornerbacks, creating a potentially massive opportunity for the Patriots' offense to take advantage of their weakened secondary.
With most of their defense healthy over the last two games, the Steelers have allowed back-to-back games of 30+ points, and now that they will be down some of their biggest contributors, there's a chance the Patriots could continue their 30+ point streak this week, too.
They scored 30+ points for the first time since the 2022 season last week against the Dolphins, as the offense appeared to have gelled and completely remodeled since Josh McDaniels rejoined the team earlier this year. Drake Maye was one of the best players on the field in that game, and there's a good opportunity to see more progression from him this week with a broken-down Steelers defense.
That doesn't mean it will be an easy feat, however, especially since Watt will still be on the field. There is a bit of a silver lining, though, as he has recorded nine combined tackles so far this season, but no sacks. If New England's improved offensive line can hold up, they could keep Watt from adding his first one against them on Sunday.
No matter what, they need to continue the momentum shift in their favor and take the opportunity of facing a depleted Steelers defense and run with it. Going into Week 4 with a 2-1 record would be an excellent way to finish the first month of the season, even more so if they do it on the heels of beating a contender like Pittsburgh this weekend.