The New England Patriots will look to have a winning record for the first time this year as they face off against the Steelers on Sunday, who also stand at 1-1. Both the Patriots and Steelers are very different teams from the ones they were a season ago.
On the Steelers' side of things, Aaron Rodgers was brought in to be the new QB, and they made a blockbuster trade by sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. The Patriots spent the most out of any team in free agency, dishing out over $360 million in contracts.
With each team looking to add a tally to the W column, there's no doubt it will be a heated game. The Patriots and Steelers have had some close games historically, and they once again have the opportunity to match up in '25. While the Steelers' core group features a plethora of aging players, that shouldn't stop them from competing in this one.
Storylines to watch for during the Patriots' Week 3 matchup against the Steelers
Keeping a record clean
Since Tom Brady left the Patriots, the Steelers are one of two teams to have faced the Patriots more than once without a win. In 2022, a Mitch Trubisky-led squad was bested by Mac Jones, and Bailey Zappe led the Patriots to a victory over Trubisky the following season.
The Patriots haven't lost against the black and yellow since 2018, and are 8-1 in their last nine matchups. The Patriots were 1-1 against Aaron Rodgers last season, and the 1-1 Steelers aren't anything to write home about.
Keeping the post-Brady record clean won't be an easy task, but it's a reasonable one, all things considered.
Minimizing Jaylen Warren's receiving impact
The Patriots struggled significantly against De'Von Achane last week. On the ground, he was bottled up for just 30 yards, but his 92 receiving yards hurt the Patriots in key moments - he was a foot in bounds away from sealing the game with under a minute to go.
Jaylen Warren took over RB1 duties after Najee Harris' departure and has been a productive player through two games, though not as a runner. In fact, he has more receiving yards (106) than rushing (85).
He's caught all six balls thrown his way thus far, with a touchdown in his first game and 86 yards in Week 2. He ranks third among running backs in yards after catch and second in missed tackles forced.
With D.K. Metcalf, the speedy Calvin Austin, and Jonnu Smith all to worry about as downfield options, Warren has thrived underneath. This could be a game where we see more Kyle Dugger and Marte Mapu as Warren-stoppers.
Ground and pound?
The Patriots didn't have much luck in Week 1 when running the ball. Rhamondre Stevenson took seven carries for 15 yards, and neither TreVeyon Henderson nor Antonio Gibson offered much more. Week 2 was better, with Stevenson approaching five yards per carry and Gibson getting five touches for 27 yards.
While they've had more success with Drake Maye and passing the ball, the Steelers' run defense has been atrocious, allowing hundred-yard games to Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker in their first two games.
On top of their run defense already being suspect, edge defender Alex Highsmith, PFF's 10th best at the position against the run in 2024, did not practice this week after a high ankle sprain. Safety DeShon Elliott, PFF's sixth-highest graded safety against the run last year, also did not practice this week. That's a huge pair of losses for the Steeler defense.
Josh McDaniels loves to run the ball, so we'll see if he tries to go back to his ground and pound roots against a team that's weak against the run.
Mutual ties
Robert Spillane is the Steeler-turned-Patriot who's most notable, but other players have ties to both teams as well. Swing tackle Calvin Anderson had two stints with the Patriots, and Daniel Ekuale featured for the team last year.
Jabrill Peppers was released by the Patriots before Week 1 and played his first game for Pittsburgh against the Seahawks last week. Jonnu Smith was reunited with Arthur Smith in Atlanta and then in Pittsburgh again since leaving the Patriots.
Josh Dobbs and the aforementioned Spillane each spent time under Mike Tomlin. After a bad week from the latter against Miami, a revenge game against the Dolphins could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Pass catching backs
Rhamondre Stevenson had a career-high 88 receiving yards last week, and he has every opportunity to be a contributor in the passing game again. Along with DeShon Elliott being out, linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson both rank in the top eight worst coverage linebackers through two weeks.
While Stevenson's burst might just be a flash in the pan, Gibson and Henderson also have extensive receiving experience, and getting them one-on-one with some poor coverage players would be very beneficial.
Jaylen Warren will be a player to look out for on the other side of the ball, but New England has every opportunity to make offensive strides via their running backs.