After an abysmal season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, where Drake Maye and the New England Patriots could barely get anything going, the team needed a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their home opener on Sunday.
Although the 20-3 win boosted morale, the team still has many glaring issues to fix. In week one, Drake Maye saw ghosts from Super Bowl past, throwing three interceptions, two of which were entirely his fault, including one that sealed the loss for the Patriots.
While Maye did enough to win on Sunday, his individual performance was not striking in week two. He threw another horrible interception and only completed 14 of his 22 passes.
The offense was also only able to record one touchdown the whole game, which, compared to last year’s team and what this team was hyped up to be, is horrible.
There were bright spots, including TreVeyon Henderson’s touchdown run where he broke free past everyone on the field, as well as Romeo Doubs returning to his true form with a reception leading to a career-long 63-yard gain. Doubs must step up for the offense to keep improving with the absence of A.J. Brown due to an injury suffered in week one.
On the other side of the football, the Patriots defense had their way with the Steelers, improving from their solid performance against the Seahawks.
The highlight of their performance, other than killing Aaron Rodgers on a sack, was the scoop-and-score by Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder.
Even though the Steelers self-imploded the whole game, holding a team to just a field goal is a strong show of defensive strength. I believe that the Patriots defense is going to keep getting better as the season goes on and could continue to overshadow the Patriots’ offense.
With key players stepping up, like Christian Gonzalez, coming off a new contract extension worth $135 million, I believe this defense can lead this team through a difficult schedule.
The Patriots have to go through a gauntlet including games against the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs. All of which are top offenses in the league right now, and other than possibly Chicago with an injury to quarterback Caleb Williams, don’t show any sign of slowing down.
If the Patriots want to repeat their performance from last year, their defense can not be the only part of their team excelling. Their offense must knock off all the rust they have and fully return to their 2025 form.
Although the offense has gotten unlucky with the injuries of Brown, who won’t return until midseason, and now offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, who suffered a potentially season-ending injury, the offense has to figure it out; players need to step up and fill those gaps.
I see players like Eli Raridon, a tight end drafted in the third round from the University of Notre Dame, stepping up big and breaking out as the season goes on and becoming a key piece of the offense. I also see Patriots first-round pick Caleb Lomu stepping up and filling in the spot for Onwenu as he deals with his injury.
Defensively, I see Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas as a key piece, causing devastation for opposing offenses. He already has recorded one sack and an interception through the first two weeks.
If players like these step up and the Patriots offense, specifically Drake Maye, figures out their struggles, they will be a team to be reckoned with. If they make the playoffs after playing this schedule, teams should be afraid to play this team in January.
I have a strong suspicion that New England fans will be cheering for their Patriots all the way into February.
