Pittsburgh (1-1) at New England (1-1)
Sunday 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
Against the spread: Steelers 0-2; Patriots 1-1
Series record: Patriots lead 19-16
Last meeting: Patriots beat Steelers 21-18 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 7, 2023.
Last week: Steelers lost to Seattle 31-17 at home; Patriots beat Dolphins 33-27 at Miami.
Steelers offense: overall (26), rush (30), pass (18), scoring (9).
Steelers defense : overall (29), rush (28), pass (23), scoring (29).
Patriots offense: overall (14), rush (23), pass (10), scoring (14t).
Patriots defense: overall (25), rush (3), pass (32), scoring (19t).
Turnover differential: Steelers plus-1; Patriots plus-1.
RB Jaylen Warren. The fourth-year pro, a former undrafted rookie free agent who have carved out a nice little niche in Pittsburgh, looked and played like a starting running back last week against the Seahawks. Warren had 134 yards from scrimmage on 18 touches, including a dazzling 65-yard catch-and-run in which he made a half-dozen defenders miss tackles. Pittsburgh needs to get its running game going and Warren has stated a pretty solid case he's ready to be RB1 for the first time in his career.
RB Antonio Gibson. The AFC special teams player of the week, Gibson showed his elusiveness last week via a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that helped the Patriots outlast Miami.
Steelers run defense vs. Patriots rushing attack. One of Pittsburgh’s glaring deficiencies over the first two games has been its difficulty stopping the run in key moments. The Steelers escaped with a 34-32 Week 1 win over the Jets, but offered little resistance as Breece Hall (19 carries, 107 yards) and Justin Fields (12 carries, 48 yards) found lanes to run. And in last week’s 31-17 loss to Seattle, though the Steelers held the Seahawks to only 117 rushing yards, Pittsburgh allowed Kenneth Walker III a 19-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that sealed the game. Meanwhile, New England has had trouble establishing the run, averaging only 3.9 yards per attempt (47 carries, 182 yards) through two games.
Steelers: Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle) is out. Rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (knee) seems likely to miss his third straight game. Safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) are also likely out.
Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) returned to practice for the first time since suffering the injury on July 28 during training camp. He was eased back into the flow this week, but coach Mike Vrabel left open the possibility he could play Sunday. DE Keion White continued to deal with an illness that caused him to be sidelined in Week 2.LB K’Lavon Chaisson (hamstring), CB Carlton Davis III (Achilles tendon), LB Harold Landry III (foot), RT Morgan Moses (foot) and LG Jared Wilson (thigh) were all limited to begin the week.
The Patriots have dominated Pittsburgh of late, winning eight of the past nine meetings overall. The Steelers have particularly struggled in New England, where they have lost six times in their past seven visits. The average margin of defeat is a staggering 19.5 points. Pittsburgh's lone win in Foxborough this century came in 2008, when the Patriots were playing without Tom Brady, who missed almost all of that season with a knee injury.
The Steelers are looking to avoid their seventh start of 1-2 or worse in Mike Tomlin's 19 seasons in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have recovered from a 1-2 start or worse to make the playoffs just once under Tomlin (2021). ... Pittsburgh's defense has been unusually leaky to start the season, giving up 791 yards through two games against offenses not expected to be among the league's best. The Steelers have also allowed 30 or more points in each of the first two games for the first time since 2002, though Pittsburgh did gift Seattle a touchdown last week when rookie running back/kick returner Kaleb Johnson let a kickoff bounce over his head into the end zone, allowing the Seahawks to fall on the live ball for a score. ... Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers' next touchdown pass will move him past former Green Bay teammate Brett Favre and into fourth by himself on the NFL's touchdown pass list. Rodgers and Favre are both currently tied at 508. ... Rodgers' 65-yard hookup with Jaylen Warren last week marked his 90th completion of at least 50 yards, tying former New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees for the most all time. ... Rodgers has absorbed seven sacks through two weeks. The 41-year-old has been sacked 578 times in his 21-year career, the most in league history. New England has 9 1/2 sacks through two weeks, led by edge rusher Harold Landry's NFL-leading 3 1/2. ... The game is a homecoming of sorts for a pair of former Patriots. Safety Jabrill Peppers and linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley have both signed with Pittsburgh in the past two weeks. Bentley led New England in tackles from 2021-23 before being released in March. Peppers was cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp this season. ... Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt has failed to get a sack in each of his past seven games, the longest stretch in his nine-year career without getting to the quarterback. ... Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell has made each of his past 13 kicks going back to last season and is the second-most accurate kicker in league history behind former Raven Justin Tucker. Boswell is at his best late. He's made 93% (83 of 89) of his field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter or overtime. ... The Patriots are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 8 and 9 of the 2022 season. ... New England hasn’t started a season 2-1 since 2020. ... QB Drake Maye had his third NFL game with at least an 80% completion rate after completing 19 of 23 passes (82.6%) last week at Miami. ... Maye needs 207 passing yards to reach 3,000. ... TE Hunter Henry has 19 TD receptions as a member of the Patriots. With one more TD he’ll move into a tie with Benjamin Watson for fourth place in franchise history. ... LB Harold Landry III has 3 1/2 sacks in two games. With 1 1/2 this week he would match Chris Slade (five in 1993) for the most sacks by a Patriots player in his first three games with the team. ... The Patriots defense has an NFL-leading five sacks through two games. They finished last in the NFL in sacks in 2024 (28). ... If the Patriots hold the Steelers under 100 yards rushing, it will mark the first time since 2019 they’d held their first three opponents under the century mark. ... New England will be wearing throwback uniforms that were worn from 1984-1992. The Patriots have lost their past five games in which they’ve worn throwback jerseys.
Patriots WR Stefon Diggs has yet to score a touchdown this season, but historically he's fared well against the Steelers. He has eight or more catches, 100 or more receiving yards and a TD in two of his past three games against Pittsburgh.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
