Fresh off their first victory of the season, the New England Patriots returned home with a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2022. They did not do that, and instead delivered a lackluster performance that saw the offense turn the ball over five teams en route to a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Week 3 contest saw several noteworthy performances, for better or worse. A look at our weekly grading chart, however, shows that consistency across positions is a problem.
Patriots position grades for Week 3
Quarterback: Coming off the best game of his career, Drake Maye paired some very promising moments with some questionable plays. His two turnovers stand out in that latter category, and were two of the biggest moments of the day. In fact, his fourth quarter fumble on a broken play he should not have tried to salvage produced the biggest win probability swing of the day (from NE 64% to NE 38%). Maye did look good as a ball carrier and made positive contributions on scramble plays, but it was an uneven overall showing from the young QB. | Grade: C
Running back: Three fumbles on 22 runs for the group is simply unacceptable. While there were some positive moments — both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson had runs of 10-plus yards, for example, with the former also being an active part of the passing game mix again — they were undone by the ball security issues. It wasn’t just the fumbles themselves, but the situations in which they occurred: Stevenson’s at the 1-yard line in the early third quarter was just a back-breaker, with Gibson’s on the next drive the cherry on top. Add the fact that TreVeyon Henderson was mostly ineffective as well, and you get a bad overall day for the unit. | Grade: F
Wide receiver: DeMario Douglas failing to reach the sticks on the final fourth down of the day stands out as the most noteworthy wide receiver play of the day, but it was not the only time the group failed to perform to expectation. Otherwise, it would not have finished with just 12 combined catches for 93 yards. It wasn’t all bad, but the group as a whole continues to be fairly quiet with no individual player asserting himself as a go-to guy or safety blanket in key situations. Obviously, the team picked Douglas to be just that with the game on the line, but he was unable to deliver. | Grade: C-
Tight end: Three weeks into the season, Hunter Henry remains the Patriots’ most reliable skill position player. Against Pittsburgh, he added eight catches for 90 yards and a pair of touchdown to his season totals and now leads the team in all three categories on the year. Fellow TE Austin Hooper also had a solid day, gaining 28 yards on two receptions. | Grade: A-
Offensive line: Going up against a blitz-heavy Steelers team, Drake Maye was pressured on roughly 31.9 percent of his dropbacks and sacked five times. While not all of the sacks fall directly on the offensive line, the blocking up front was more shaky than it had been last week versus what is on paper a superior Miami front. The run blocking was also a bit hit or miss on the day, with New England gaining just 3.2 yards per carry on scripted runs. | Grade: C+
Defensive line: The Patriots’ defensive line remains arguably the best overall unit on the team. While it did not manage to sack Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, the group headlined by interior duo Christian Barmore and Milton Williams was still disruptive and its usual stout self against the run. On a day that saw issues pop up left and right, the highest-paid group on the roster did what it is being paid to do: make life hard for the opposing offense and set the tone for the entire defense behind it. | Grade: A
Linebacker: After a slow start to his Patriots career, Robert Spillane was a steady presence at the second level on Sunday. His tackling was significantly better and his interception in the early third quarter could have been a game-changer had the offense not subsequently squandered the opportunity. Outside of Spillane, however, linebacker play remains problematic — to a point where fellow starter Christian Elliss was benched in favor of Jack Gibbens. | Grade: B–
Cornerback: Speaking of benching, Alex Austin’s time as a starter in the Patriots secondary is nearing its end. He was penalized twice in five coverage snaps on the day, with both allowing Pittsburgh to convert on third down and the second also erasing a Milton Williams strip sack. The rest of the cornerback group — i.e. Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods — fared slightly better, but Christian Gonzalez still cannot return fast enough. | Grade: C+
Safety: New England’s safety group had a rough go against Miami in Week 2, but it bounced back in Week 3 versus Pittsburgh. Starters Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson did not have the lapses hat hurt them the previous Sunday, while Kyle Dugger also seems to increasingly have found his niche. | Grade: B
Special teams: The kickoff return game was a relative non-factor while Bryce Baringer’s lone punt resulted in a touchback, but other than that Jeremy Springer and company can feel good about Sunday’s outing. There were no major issues such as penalties or missed kicks this time around, while Pittsburgh also had limited success in the game’s third phase. A step in the right direction after two shaky games. | Grade: B
Even though the Patriots were not competitive in the turnover battle, they managed to find a way to stay in the game until the very end. Some positive individual and group contributions played a big part in that, and helped keep the ship afloat as long as possible. It was ultimately not enough to improve to 2-1 on the year, but it shows that not all is as bad as the overall nature of the loss might suggest.
How would you grade the Patriots’ performance in Week 3, though? Do you agree with our assessment? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.
