Steelers vs Patriots NFL Pick: Pittsburgh Tries to Right Its Flailing Ship in New England (Sep 21)

• For NFL Week 3 Steelers-Patriots, Pittsburgh needs a rebound after a tough Week 2 loss, while New England hopes to build on its comeback win
• Pittsburgh is in unfamiliar terrain, with players making mental mistakes and apparent dysfunction
• New England won its first game under new head coach Mike Vrabel over the archrival Dolphins
• The Patriots have won 4 of the past 5 meetings between the teams
• The Steelers are slight favorites on the road

The Steelers Need To Clean It Up

If anything encapsulated the Steelers’ early-season struggles, it was rookie Kaleb Johnson not knowing the kickoff rules and allowing the ball to roll into the end zone, where the Seahawks recovered it for a touchdown.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Johnson will not be returning kickoffs for the time being. That seemed to be the extent of the punishment, which is a good thing. He’s a rookie. He made a mistake. The entire world was ridiculing him. What good would it have done for the team to pile on? It’s safe to say that he now knows the rule.

The coaching staff shares a portion of the blame for not making sure Johnson understood the rules beforehand.

Pittsburgh is a 60-yard Chris Boswell field goal in Week 1 vs the Jets from being 0-2.

Their defense, which is supposed to be a strength, is 29th in the league in points allowed. They are not pressuring the QB, nor are they stopping the run. Surrendering 32 points to the Jets and 31 points to the Seahawks, two teams not known as offensive juggernauts, is worrisome.

Their running game has been nonexistent. And then there are the uncharacteristic mental mistakes, including receivers running the wrong routes.

Obviously, it’s too early to panic, but they are playing similarly to how they played at the tail end of the 2024 season when they lost their last five games.

QB Aaron Rodgers has not been vintage Rodgers, but he’s been good with a 97.8 passer rating, a 63.5 completion percentage, 5 TD passes, and 2 picks.

Drake Maye’s Brilliant Performance Carried the Pats Over the Dolphins

In the Patriots’ Week 2 win over the Dolphins, Drake Maye completed 19 of 23 passes for 230 yards and 2 TDs. He ran for 31 yards on 10 carries. Most importantly, he did not throw any interceptions.

The 33-27 victory over Miami was head coach Mike Vrabel’s first win as Pats’ head coach. They’re still in a retooling phase, but there were positive signs, including a fourth-quarter comeback, and they did not turn the ball over.

New England controlled Miami’s running game, holding De’Von Achane to 30 yards on the ground and Malik Washington to 23. Their pass defense left something to be desired, with Tyreek Hill catching 6 balls for 109 yards, Jaylen Waddle catching 5 for 68, and Achane catching 8 for 92.

They have been without star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who has a hamstring injury. He has returned to practice for Week 3. Several key defensive players are on the injury report and were limited in practice, including Harold Landry, Carlton Davis, and Christian Barmore.

Steelers vs Patriots Pick

The Steelers’ vaunted defense showed no capacity to stop either the Jets or Seahawks in Weeks 1 and 2. They managed to steal a win over New York but came perilously close to losing the first two games of the season.

Can they stop Maye, Stefon Diggs (parenthood pending with girlfriend Cardi B announcing she’s pregnant — congrats?), Rhamondre Stephenson, and Kayshon Boutte?

New England’s defense is beat up and surrendered 27 points to Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins. Pittsburgh must establish the run to keep Maye and Co. off the field, so expect Jaylen Warren to get a heavy workload.

Expect another close game with New England hanging tight at home.