For once, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to New England with some history on their side.
They'll face the Patriots in an NFL Week 2 matchup Sunday following a victory at Gillette Stadium a year ago in which the defense forced five turnovers to secure a 21-14 Week 3 victory. It was Pittsburgh's first win in Foxboro, Mass., since a 2011 triumph. The Steelers had dropped decisions in each of their past four visits and had dropped eight of their last nine against their AFC nemesis overall.
Coach Mike Vrabel, quarterback Drake Maye and Co. ultimately got the last laugh by reaching the Super Bowl as AFC champions. At least for an afternoon, however, they didn't have many answers for the playmaking of the Steelers defense.
Steelers' NFL Week 1 win: T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith were disruptive
Maye threw an interception and lost a fourth-quarter fumble that short-circuited any hopes of a comeback. Rhamondre Stevenson lost two fumbles and Antonio Gibson lost one earlier in the game. T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense will look to be similarly opportunistic this week after generating a pair of turnovers -- including a interception returned for a touchdown -- in a Week 1 win against Atlanta.
Offensively, Aaron Rodgers and the offense will look to improve on an effort that was barely good enough to take advantage of New England's miscues last year. The veteran quarterback managed just 139 yards through the air, while the running game averaged just 2.5 yards per carry en route to totaling 64 for the afternoon.
New England dropped the NFL season opener at Seattle last week. Maye has had more than a week to think about his three interceptions in that game, so it will be interesting to see whether he plays a tighter game or struggles the way he did when Pittsburgh was last in town.
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Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. out vs Patriots; return date unclear
10:16 AM ET, September 20 2026The Steelers will be without top cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for the second week in a row. He is designated "out" for the game against the Patriots with the back injury that has bothered him since training camp on the team's injury report.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers are planning for Porter to return for Week 3, when the Steelers face the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals back at Acrisure Stadium. However, he reports that Porter plans to seek a second opinion because the back "flared up when he's tried to go full speed, and they haven't been able to get it where it needs to be."
Of course, the contract drama between player and team is the subtext to the whole situation. The the two sides did not reach an agreement on a long-term contract before the season began and now will not until the offseason at the earliest because of a long-standing team policy not to negotiate once the regular season is underway.
Porter is currently on track to become a free agent or stay with the Steelers under the franchise tag. Rumors have swirled about the possibility of a trade all week, but USA TODAY explained why that proposition is complicated as well. You can read more about trade scenarios here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers vs Patriots live updates: TV info, live stream, odds for Week 2 game
