At times it looked like both the offense and defense were on to something big, and at other times they looked completely out of synch. In the end the Steelers did enough to edge out the New England Patriots 21-14.
It was a renaissance performance for two of the Steelers’ biggest stars. T.J. Watt snapped a six-game streak without a sack in a monster performance, getting two of the Steelers’ five sacks against the Patriots. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go along with five tackles.
Cam Heyward was back to making the types of plays that have cemented him as an All-Pro. He had six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a deflected pass that resulted in an interception. His biggest plays were timely. Just before halftime, with the Patriots poised to score, Heyward tipped Drake Maye’s pass, which landed in the hands of cornerback Brandin Echols. Then, after Aaron Rodgers threw a bad interception to open the second half, Heyward once again stopped the Patriots short of the end zone when he stripped Rhamondre Stevenson at the 1-yard line before he could cross the goal line for the score.
Nick Herbig, starting in place of the injured Alex Highsmith, produced perhaps the biggest sack of the game. His strip sack of Maye midway through the fourth quarter thwarted a potential go-ahead score by the Patriots and set up the Steelers’ game-winning drive. Cole Holcomb made his first “start” since November 2023, following a knee injury that had kept him off the field. In the game, he had six tackles and a forced fumble. He spelled Payton Wilson on the big run downs. Patrick Queen continues to be a tackling machine, leading the team with 10 tackles.
After missing the first two games with a knee sprain, rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon made his highly anticipated NFL debut. He recorded two tackles, including his first career sack. At the nose tackle position, Daniel Ekuale and Keeanu Benton split time, with Ekuale registering three tackles. Benton looks miscast at the nose. Despite the unit’s noted improvement, they still struggled to stop the run, allowing the Patriots to gain 119 rushing yards. This marks the third consecutive game where the defense has surrendered over 100 yards on the ground.
Just three weeks after being cut by the Patriots, Jabrill Peppers made a huge impact getting his first start for the Steelers. He came up with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the same play early in the third quarter, a highlight in a day filled with big plays from the defensive backs.
Brandin Echols recorded his first interception with the Steelers, and Darius Slay Jr. played well in coverage and recovered a fumble. The team’s pass coverage though is still very leaky, especially on third downs. Drake Maye completed 76% of his passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. While turnovers ultimately won the game for the defense, their struggles particularly over the middle on third down is head scratching. The potential return of Joey Porter Jr. and DeShon Elliott will helpfully improve the coverage units.
It was also an uneven performance for the offense, a veritable mixed bag of impressive and inconsistent moments. While the fast start and absolute glorious finish were impressive, what happened between those three drives was just bad football. Aaron Rodgers finished with only 16 completions. A remarkable 11 of those completions came on the three touchdown drives, leaving him with just five completions on the other seven drives.
Despite the inconsistency, Rodgers still gets it done when he has some time. He put together several clutch throws, particularly on the touchdowns to DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III. The game-winning throw to Austin, a perfect back-shoulder pass in the end zone, capped off a nine-play drive.
It also looks like he is getting on the same page with his targets. On that final drive, Rodgers was a flawless 4 for 4, a stark contrast to his previous four drives in the second half where he went 4 for 9 with an interception. The offense is clearly still a work in progress, but Rodgers delivered when it counted most.
Consistency, or the lack thereof, was the theme for the Steelers’ pass catchers. While they made their catches count, the overall production was mediocre.
The receivers were opportunistic, highlighted by DK Metcalf’s incredible job of getting both feet inbounds for a touchdown in the second quarter. The tight ends, which are supposed to be the focal point of the Arthur Smith system, offered next to nothing. Pat Freiermuth had only one catch for six yards and earned the Aaron Rodgers, angry hand gesture moment for failing to settle in a zone on a third down. Jonnu Smith managed three catches for 23 yards, but his performance was marred by a fumble that luckily went out of bounds. There are plenty of very good pass catchers, the lack of a passing game is something that needs to be fixed.
The running game is still non-existent. Jaylen Warren earned the bulk of the work, and he delivered. He finished with 81 total yards from scrimmage and came up with some crucial plays on the final drive. Warren contributed 29 of his yards to the fourth-quarter touchdown drive, including 14 of his team-high 47 rushing yards. Kenneth Gainwell chipped in to make a big play in the final drive with a 10-yard catch just before the game-winning touchdown pass to Calvin Austin. It was a game that was tailor made for the Steelers to take the air out of the ball and ground and pound, but the front is not getting any offensive push.
Corliss Waitman, proved Sunday he is a valuable weapon, he had a 55-yard punt and pinned the Patriots inside their 20-yard line three times. The kickoff coverage team showed significant improvement, holding the Patriots to an average of just 23.5 yards per return. This was a notable change from the first two games where the Jets and Seahawks consistently returned kicks past the 30-yard line. Chris Boswell was not called upon for a field goal.
The Steelers are 2-1 with a defense that has given up an average of 386 yards per game and no running game. They could easily be 3-0 or 0-3, that is how Jekyll and Hyde this team is.
The victory over the Patriots was a testament to their opportunistic, yet inconsistent, nature. While the defense showed a slight improvement by giving up “only” 369 total yards—fewer than in the first two games—their victory was a result of five turnovers. Defensive lapses are still very evident, as miscommunication allowed tight end Hunter Henry to score a wide-open touchdown on fourth down.
Offensively, the performance also is a rollercoaster. Coordinator Arthur Smith’s unit was opportunistic early and late but vanished for large stretches of the game. Finishing with a mere 203 total yards is a concerning number that won’t lead to many wins in the future. They must find a more consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball to achieve any kind of success.
Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!
My “GAME BEER” goes to: After seriously considering it, it had to be Cam Heyward. He put in so many clutch plays, he basically saved the game. Also Considered: T.J. Watt, for having a huge day, Cole Holcomb coming in and establishing some law and order. Jaylen Warren for getting the tough yards.
Beer of the Game: I went with Brooklyn Octoberfest, Hearty and solid beer. I actually didn’t drink my whole allotment for the game.
“Steel the Snacks”: KGB went with New England Style Corn Chowder with biscuits. Solid soup and very hearty. We had it in the fourth quarter when the Steelers were driving.
My stat of the week: So many to choose from going with two touchdowns for a total of 510, the number of touchdowns Aaron Rodgers now has as he passed Brett Favre for fourth place on the all-time touchdown list.
My thoughts on next week: IRELAND, my heart is broken that we won’t be there, because of business commitments. This is a revenge game against the Vikings who beat the Steelers in London 12 years ago. This game would have meant a lot to Mr. Rooney, the former ambassador to Ireland. Look for a big week from the Steelers.
Jersey of the Week: NO Jersey this week, had a hectic pregame including the day after a wedding party and an event with the OSDIA.