It has already been a roller coaster of a season so far for the Patriots, and they're only just heading into Week 3. However, their season opener against the Raiders was a disappointment, especially for a team that entered the new year with a lot of hype stemming from the impressive offseason they had. Their win against the Dolphins brought back the optimism that dominated headlines during that time.
They now go into their matchup with the Steelers with momentum shifting in their favor, as they finally managed to take down the Dolphins in Miami for the first time since the 2019 season, the infamous single appearance by Antonio Brown.
They also proved they can have a capable offense by scoring 30+ points for the first time since the 2022 season, which is certainly something that could continue this week because Pittsburgh's defense has allowed 30 points in back-to-back games to start the season.
But the Patriots haven't accomplished that in a few years, so it will be quite a feat to do that. There is a chance they could finally break that five-year streak, and coming off an impressive win in Week 2 could help make that happen.
The Patriots have the chance to continue their hot streak this week against a questionable Steelers' defense
The last time New England scored 30+ points in back-to-back games, we have to look to the 2020 season, the lone year of Cam Newton under center. The former MVP helped the team nearly beat the Seahawks 30-25 in Seattle in Week 2, and followed that performance up with a win at home against the Raiders by scoring 36 points.
Repeating that this week against the Steelers might not be achievable, given how much tougher a team they are than the Raiders or the Dolphins. However, their star-studded defense hasn't looked so good to start the year, which could work in the Patriots' favor.
In their Week 1 opener against the Jets, they allowed the Justin Fields-led offense to score 32 points and allowed nearly the same against the Seahawks a week later, who left Pittsburgh with a 31-17 win.
The Patriots have a chance to get their first home win of the season and try to set the tone for the rest of the season, and while it won't be easy, as the Steelers might be using last week's loss as motivation, it seems scoring 30+ points, if not just beating them, is more possible than we might have thought.
They're dealing with several key injuries to their defense, making the Patriots' offense a bit of help on Sunday. On top of that, their defense is the reason they beat the Dolphins last week, as Anfernee Jennings got a timely sack on Tua Tagovailoa, and Milton Williams did the same to seal the win.
Hopefully, they can maintain that level of production this week, no matter what the end score is. That's the kind of football fans want to see from the new Mike Vrabel-led team, and it would be good to see some consistency after an exciting win.