When looking ahead to the home opener, Mike Vrabel said that the Patriots needed to give the Foxborough faithful something to cheer for.
That hasn’t been the case in recent years.
The Patriots hadn’t won a home opener since 2020, when the Cam Newton-led Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins in front of an empty stadium because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time they won a home opener with fans in the stands was 2019, Banner Night for Super Bowl LIII, when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3, one day after acquiring Antonio Brown.
It had been a while.
But on Sunday, the Patriots finally ended that drought with a 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, it was far from pretty.
Here are eight takeaways as the Patriots earn their first win of the season.
The defense won the Patriots this game
The Patriots’ defense won them this game.
The pass rush harassed 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers all afternoon, with four different players recording a sack: Christian Elliss, Elijah Ponder, Joshua Farmer, and Christian Barmore. They also finished with six tackles for loss.
For all the concerns about how the Patriots were going to generate pressure, especially coming off the edge, the first two games of the season have been a pleasant surprise.
The Patriots also forced two turnovers: a strip sack of Rodgers by Barmore that was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by Ponder, and an interception from rookie Gabe Jacas on a ball that was knocked loose following a hit from Charles Woods.
With those two turnovers, the Patriots improved to 6-0 under Mike Vrabel when they force two or more turnovers. By allowing only 16 points in their first two games, the Patriots are off to their best defensive start since 2019, when they surrendered just three points in the first two games.
The Patriots did all of that while dealing with injuries on defense.
They started the game without cornerback Carlton Davis, then lost safeties Craig Woodson and Dell Pettus, as well as edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones, during the game.
All told, they allowed 235 yards and just three points. The Patriots allowed just one play of more than 20 yards, a 26-yard pass to Jaylen Warren with 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, and just three plays of more than 15 yards.
It very well could’ve been a shutout, which leads to the next takeaway…
Mike Vrabel may have cost the defense a shutout
If not for a blunder from Mike Vrabel, the Patriots defense may have had a shutout.
During a play in which Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth turned a short pass into a nine-yard gain on 3rd-and-1, cornerback Marcus Jones was injured. Because the injury occurred inside the final two minutes of the half and the clock would have continued to run, the Patriots were automatically charged a team timeout.
The pass to Freiermuth moved the ball to the New England 47-yard line, setting up what would have been a 65-yard field goal attempt. The Steelers had just 12 seconds remaining in the half and no timeouts.
Vrabel then tried to call another timeout, which resulted in a five-yard delay of game and handed the Steelers five free yards.
Aaron Rodgers then hit Roman Wilson for a four-yard gain, turning what would have been a 61-yard field goal attempt into a 56-yarder.
Maybe Chris Boswell makes the 61-yarder. He has just one career make from 60-plus yards.
Nonetheless, it was poor situational football from Vrabel, an area where he is usually very strong.
The injuries are becoming concerning
The Patriots had extreme injury luck last season. Through two games this year, that hasn’t carried over.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown was lost for at least four weeks after he was placed on IR following an ankle injury in Week 1. Cornerback Carlton Davis was inactive on Sunday. Mike Onwenu, who has missed just three games in his NFL career and led New England in offensive snaps in 2022, 2024, and 2025, suffered what appears to be a serious lower-leg injury.
Along with Onwenu, the Patriots dealt with the aforementioned injuries on defense: Craig Woodson, Dell Pettus, and Dre’Mont Jones. Tight end Eli Raridon also left with an injury.
Injuries are already piling up for the Patriots at position groups where they aren’t exactly deep.
Christian Gonzalez took DK Metcalf out of the game
Christian Gonzalez shadowed Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf for most of the game.
Gonzalez matched up against Metcalf 34 times, holding him to three catches for 11 yards. Two of those catches came behind the line of scrimmage. Gonzalez also had two pass breakups.
In his first game at Gillette Stadium since signing his record-setting four-year, $135 million extension, Gonzalez showed exactly why the Patriots gave him that contract.
“Gonzo wants those challenges,” Mike Vrabel said. “You can see the competitive spirit. And again, when we talk about being the most physical unit that translates. You see the physical stab and being able to cover. I love the fact that sometimes they catch the football on you, and he comes right back and challenges. I know that they complete less than they complete.
Rhamondre Stevenson fumble opens the door for TreVeyon Henderson
It was déjà vu all over again.
Last season, when the Patriots met the Steelers at Gillette Stadium, Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled twice. Almost a year to the day of that two-fumble game against the Steelers, Stevenson coughed the ball up on the fourth play of the game. It was his first fumble since Week 5 against Buffalo last season.
The fumble opened the door for TreVeyon Henderson, who was in the huddle to start the next drive. On the fourth play of the drive, Henderson, who missed the season opener due to an ankle injury, exploded for a 39-yard touchdown run that was well-executed by blocks at all levels.
That was the type of explosive play the Patriots’ offense was missing in Week 1, and exactly the type of home-run ability Henderson brings. Of his 10 NFL rushing touchdowns, five have come from at least 35 yards.
Henderson finished the game with 16 carries, while Stevenson had just six.
Romeo Doubs had a nice bounce back
Romeo Doubs couldn’t have had a worse start to his Patriots tenure in Week 1.
The 26-year-old, who came over from the Packers after spending the first four years of his career in Green Bay, finished without a catch on three targets, including a brutal drop in the fourth quarter that would’ve gone
for 25-plus yards.
In Week 2, however, he was much better.
Doubs hauled in three receptions on four targets for a game-high 96 yards. No pass catcher on either side had more than 40 yards receiving.
His 96 yards set a new career high, and he very well could’ve had his first career 100-yard game, but Drake Maye threw a slant too far behind him.
His 63-yard catch on a play-action pass from Maye in the third quarter was the longest catch of Doubs’ career and the second-longest completion of Maye’s career.
That’s the player the Patriots, who signed Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract this offseason, need to see more of.
The Patriots couldn’t capitalize on big plays
New England’s longest play in Week 1 against Seattle was 19 yards, a pass from Maye to Mack Hollins.
In Week 2, they had six plays of at least 24 yards, including four of 29-plus, but they couldn’t capitalize on those big plays.
On five of their six plays of 20-plus yards, the Patriots immediately went backward. They turned the ball over after two of them and had a penalty after two others.
The Patriots have to be able to build off those explosive plays.
Drake Maye and the offense are still out of sync
Through two games, the Patriots have scored just two offensive touchdowns, a far cry from an offense that finished second in the NFL in points per game (28.8) and third in yards per game (379.4) last season.
It starts with the quarterback. Drake Maye, who completed a league-best 72.0% of his passes, a Patriots team record, for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions last season, has not looked like the quarterback we saw a year ago. Another questionable decision Sunday led to an ugly, underthrown interception to Patrick Queen on a downfield target to Henry.
Through two games, he’s already halfway to last year’s interception total.
It’s not quite time to panic after two games, but the offense has left a lot to be desired.
It goes without saying that it needs to be better. Maye and the offense know that.
“Definitely not where we want to be,” Maye said. “Just a point of making some plays, picking up some first downs, and then end up just stalling out. I think it starts with me making good decisions, being in good plays. It starts with us finishing the drives.”
