What to Watch For: New England Patriots Offense vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Defense | Week 2 2026

Home cooking, anyone?

This Sunday, the New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the home opener at Gillette Stadium. Previously, we looked at what New England’s defense will be trying to accomplish to slow the Pittsburgh offense. Now, we flip sides of the ball and more closely examine the Patriots’ offense — a unit that will be looking to bounce back after relinquishing control of the game in Week 1’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks with three fourth quarter interceptions by quarterback Drake Maye. That will not be an easy task against a Steelers’ defense that ranked as one of the NFL’s best units during the season’s first slate of games.

Here’s what we’ll be watching for when the New England offense lines up against the Pittsburgh defense:

Even more than most weeks, all eyes will be fixated on Maye when the action kicks off on Sunday afternoon. 

Following an efficient first three quarters of play last Wednesday night, Maye’s three interceptions on each of the Patriots’ fourth quarter drives ultimately gave Seattle the additional opportunities they needed to secure victory, and they took full advantage. Maye will be looking to bounce back this Sunday, but doing so against the Steelers will be easier said than done. 

Last week, Pittsburgh’s defense ranked second in the league in defensive EPA/play at -0.38 (Kansas City Chiefs, -0.44) and played especially well against Cooper Rush (12-of-22, 143 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, four sacks) and the Atlanta Falcons passing attack with a 34.6% success rate (third in the NFL). The Steelers grabbed two interceptions and scored a touchdown — and did so without their top cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., who missed the game with a back injury, but looks on track to suit-up against New England.

Under head coach Mike McCarthy, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has built a unit that specializes with a four-man rush (92.3% of plays, highest mark in the league) and played exclusively zone coverage on 100% of snaps last week. 

Graham and Maye faced-off in Week 1 of the 2025 season when the defensive coordinator held the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders. In New England’s 20-13 loss, Maye completed 30-of-46 passes for 287 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four sacks (one strip sack, recovered by left tackle Will Campbell). Against Pittsburgh in Week 3, Maye had similar struggles — completing 28-of-37 passes with 268 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, five sacks, and lost one fumble on a strip-sack by edge rusher Nick Herbig in the fourth quarter.

Akin to the Steelers of old, Graham’s preferred defensive coverage shell is Cover 3 — which he ran most frequently on 24 dropbacks against Maye in Week 1 last season and on nine dropbacks against Atlanta this past Sunday. One added wrinkle from this year’s season opener that wasn’t prevalent the last time the two met was Pittsburgh’s increased volume of Cover 6 (six snaps against the Falcons), which could foreshadow their coverage plan against the Patriots.

Maye’s hardships against Cover 6 were put under a spotlight by the Seahawks, and the combination of Cover 3 and Cover 6 that’s run by the Steelers could present a very similar picture deep in coverage this weekend. That will likely be the plan for most teams facing off against Maye until he proves he can stop it, but plays right into the hands of a Pittsburgh defense that specializes in running those concepts under Graham.

If Maye is going to have a bounce back game against the Steelers, he’ll have to do so under similar conditions. Patience and efficiency will need to be the gameplan, as those shells work to take away the deep ball.

Without A.J. Brown in the lineup for the foreseeable future, more pressure will be placed on New England’s other skill position players to boost production.

Free agent addition Romeo Doubs will assume duties as the Patriots’ de facto top-option at wide receiver — and for better or worse, his floor has already been revealed. In Seattle, Doubs was targeted three times, recorded no catches, and his fourth quarter drop directly preceded Maye’s second interception on a would-be chunk gain to move the sticks. More positively, that must mean that Doubs can only show improvement this week, and it will be needed. He and Maye began to develop chemistry late in training camp, but that’s yet to translate to the field. Sunday would be a great time for that.

When Maye did look to push the ball downfield late against the Seahawks, it was veteran wide receiver Mack Hollins who came through. Hollins finished as the Patriots’ leading receiver in the game with four catches on five targets and 51 yards. Three of his four receptions and four of his five targets came on New England’s final drive. He was the intended receiver on Maye’s final interception that sealed victory for Seattle.

Second-year wide receiver Kyle Williams has been primed for a leap forward since hauling in a touchdown in each of New England’s three preseason contests, and Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh will be his most expansive opportunity to do so yet. Previously buried behind the likes of Kayshon Boutte and Brown, Williams’ path towards playing time on the boundary is clearer than it has been through this point of his career. Now, it’ll be about pairing potential with production, which has been the missing component for him thus far. Williams has shown flashes, but will need a complete game to take that next step.

If the Steelers are set on taking away perimeter shots for Maye and the Patriots’ downfield passing game, then more emphasis will be placed on the middle of the field and targets like DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, and a rotation of running backs.

Douglas has been another player whose potential has outweighed his production, but his volume through one week shows signs of more trust from offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He was used behind Stefon Diggs in a slot receiver rotation in 2025, but took every snap in 11 personnel as New England’s third receiver last Wednesday. He was active and tied running back Rhamondre Stevenson for the team-lead in receptions (five), but only generated 20 yards of offense. Criticisms of Douglas’ inability to read-and-react to defensive coverage returned early in the game when he failed to convert a “hot” route on a slot blitz by cornerback Devon Witherspoon, which resulted in a third-down pressure that ended the drive.

More likely, increased volume will go to Henry, who starred in last year’s matchup against Pittsburgh with team-highs in catches (eight), receiving yards (90), and touchdowns (two). Against Cover 3, Henry could do damage up-the-seam yet again this year and improve upon the quiet three-catch, 26-yard outing he had in the season opener.

Unlike the Seahawks, who traditionally use a high percentage of defensive line stunts to generate pressure with their four-man rush, the Steelers rely heavily on the contributions from their elite talent off the edge to wreak havoc in the backfield.

In Week 1, that worked at a high-level, as Pittsburgh generated pressure at a 30.8% rate. Both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith recorded 2.0 sacks in the game, and rotational edge rusher Nick Herbig led the team with a 25.0% pass-rush win-rate on just nine pass rushing snaps.

The Steelers seemingly lived in the backfield when they faced off against the Patriots last season. They blitzed at an abnormally high rate of 38.3% and generated pressure on 31.9% of Maye’s dropbacks, registering five sacks and a takeaway on the Herbig strip sack. Even without Highsmith in the lineup, left tackle Will Campbell had one of his more challenging outings of the year, registering a season-low pass-blocking grade of 48.1 in the loss.

While Pittsburgh's lack of blitzing in Week 1 could have been viewed as a byproduct of playing against a third-string quarterback in Rush, that’s not likely the case. Under Graham in 2025, the Raiders only sent additional rushers on 22.4% of plays, which ranked 23rd in the league. They’ll rely on their talented front-four to get the job done much more often than not, and in the past, that’s been more than enough for them — especially with Watt coming off the edge.

Since entering the NFL in 2017, Watt’s 117.0 sacks are the second-most behind only Myles Garrett (125.5), and Highsmith has shown flashes of that level of production with 9.5 sacks last season and a career-best mark of 14.5 (with five forced fumbles) in 2022.

Maye’s potential for a bounce back performance begins up-front, stopping a trio of talented pass rushers before they can wreck the game. A stronger showing from their rushing attack may help that cause, as well — and that’s an area where the Steelers may be had. 

The real rebound this Sunday may occur in the New England backfield.

Last week, Rhamondre Stevenson struggled to gain ground on one of the NFL’s elite rushing defenses, registering 18 carries and picking up 50 of 51 rushing yards after contact. Without TreVeyon Henderson in the lineup, Stevenson played 60 of New England’s 71 offensive snaps, and tied for the team-lead in receptions (five) and added 44 receiving yards to his total.

Pittsburgh’s success — or lack thereof — in stopping the run told a much different story. With an overt commitment to feeding the running backs the football, the Falcons racked up 120 yards on the ground vs. the Steelers and did enough in that area to keep the game within reach until late in the fourth quarter. On 31 carries, Atlanta averaged 3.9 yards per attempt. In addition to his 83 yards rushing, running back Bijan Robinson recorded a team-high eight receptions, 90 receiving yards, and one touchdown as a pass-catcher.

Last year, Pittsburgh ranked as a top-10 defense against the run in success rate (40.8%), but trailed further behind in EPA/rush (-0.03, 20th) and stuffed run percentage (17.9%). Their 4.26 yards per carry against ranked in the middle of the pack at 15th overall.

Forging a path by land may be of the least resistance for the Patriots, whose commitment to the run was notable in their loss at Seattle — even through their lack of success. Stevenson’s dual-threat ability may not be to the same standard as Robinson’s, but he’s able to make a similar impact on the game if New England keeps feeding him. Pounding the rock with both backs will keep the Patriots ahead of the sticks and set-up play action opportunities to receiving options downfield — a necessary remedy for a sputtering passing attack of late.

Whether it be between-the-tackles or as a checkdown option underneath, a hefty helping of Stevenson should once again be in the gameplan for New England’s offense when they line up against the Steelers. 

The Patriots are also likely to enjoy the added benefit of a healthy Henderson in the mix for the first time in 2026, as he’s been a full participant at practice this week and commented that he’s “ready to go” for Sunday.

Henderson’s availability headlines the injury report this week for New England, but that doesn’t factor in Brown’s absence on injured reserve. Elsewhere, offensive tackle Dametrious Crownover did not participate in practice this week and has been ruled out for Sunday, while Ben Brown spent the week limited.

For the Steelers, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was a limited participant in practice throughout the week with a “non-injury-related/condiditioning/back” designation; he’s been ruled out, and will be a big loss for the Pittsburgh secondary for the second straight week. Steelers' veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was given a rest day on Thursday but carries no injury tag for the weekend.

Primed for a bounce back performance in Week 2 on their home field, Maye and the Patriots’ offense will have to weather the storm of an unrelenting pass rush and similar coverage tendencies presented by Pittsburgh to secure victory. Challenges will be presented at all three levels of the defense, but New England’s offense has shown the talent and chemistry to overcome them. Now, it’s time to put that on tape for the first time in 2026.

What will you be watching for when the Patriots’ offense takes the field against T.J. Watt and the Steelers’ defense? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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Recent Articles:

- What to Watch For: New England Patriots Defense vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Offense | Week 2 2026

- Patriots’ Will Campbell is Showcasing Growth, but Greater Challenges Lie Ahead

- Did the Seahawks Create a Blueprint for Stopping Drake Maye and the Patriots’ Offense?

- New England Patriots May Not Need to Replace A.J. Brown With Another Receiver

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