These dogs do have some fight in them after all. Good sign! Heading into Week 3 at 0-2 would have been downright depressing. Conjuring up a positive spin on the Patriots’ ability to pull out a win against the Steelers — especially after losing to the free-falling Dolphins, would have taken work. Nothing gets easier once the NFL regular-season engine starts up and no franchise survives being a one-trick pony. There’s more film to study and good teams find a way to cancel out whatever their opponents
do well.
Drake Maye looked cool and unruffled. Will Campbell and the offensive line studied last week’s film, made adjustments and stepped up in Week 2. The run game emerged. Rhamondre Stevenson reminded us why he shouldn’t be written off or replaced by the flashy new rookie. Antonio Gibson signaled he’s still an asset too.
Still a work in progress, the team punch list includes improved tackling, the defense not giving up chunk plays, special teams, and cleaning up the penalty situation to name a few. The penalties alone almost killed the team’s chances. Mike Vrabel voiced his displeasure with rookie referee Alex Moore, but that’s all after the fact. In real time, his players can’t commit the amount of penalties they did in Miami and expect to win.
Up next come the 1-1 Steelers, led by Aaron Rodgers. In Week 1 they were motivated to beat the Jets with a stick (I mean, who isn’t?) But the Seahawks were able to find the holes in their defense – middle of the field, just like the Brady era. Here’s hoping Josh McDaniels can exploit those weak areas, and the Pats defense can shore up their run defense before Sunday. Steelers open as slight favorites at Gillette Stadium, once again looking to the Patriots as a ‘get right game.’ But I don’t see it. I’m picking the fight, the momentum and the Patriots to win.
GO PATS!!
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Around the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (2-0) vs. Miami Dolphins (0-2)
New England Patriots (1-1) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)
New York Jets (0-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
AFC Matchups:
Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
Indianapolis Colts (2-0) at Tennessee Titans (0-2)
Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) vs. Denver Broncos (1-1)
Baltimore Ravens (1-1) vs. Detroit Lions (1-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) vs. Houston Texans (0-2)
Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) at Washington Commanders (1-1)
Cleveland Browns (0-2) vs. Green Bay Packers (2-0)
Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at New York Giants (0-2)
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22nd – Diante Lee (The Ringer): Drake Maye’s breakout season loading. If 2025 ends up being Drake Maye’s breakout year, we’ll look back on this game against Miami and say that this was the type of complete performance that helped Maye turn the corner. His footwork was clean in the pocket, his throws were precise, and he flashed the athletic ability that makes him a valuable scrambler when plays break down. New England’s offensive scheme is asking him to do a lot of heavy lifting, but he played as though he can handle that responsibility. If this level of play carries over into next week’s game against Pittsburgh, New England will start garnering attention as a surprise team in the AFC. [+4]
22nd – Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): It wasn’t pretty at Miami, but they found a way to beat the Dolphins. Drake Maye was better than he was in the opener, which is a good thing in the new offense. [+4]
23rd – Conor Orr (SI): The Patriots are literally transforming before our eyes. Josh McDaniels injected this offense with a flurry of pre-snap motion after a heavily static Week 1. While it’s not a direct cause and effect, Drake Maye has never looked better. [+3]
23rd – Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): The Patriots saw their full potential with Drake Maye at work with his arm, legs and leadership against the Dolphins. It helps Maye has settled on his best supporting offensive skill weapons. [+3]
23rd – Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk): Can they win consecutive games for the first time in nearly three years? [+1]
24th – NFL Nation (ESPN): Biggest QB takeaway: Drake Maye went back into the lab to improve accuracy. After an up-and-down opener in which he was 30-of-46 passing (65.2%) and lamented missing several open receivers, Maye was sharp in Week 2 with a 19-of-23 performance (82.6%). “[He’s] growing up. I feel like he made a jump from last week, just settling in,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said after the Dolphins game. That foreshadows the possibility of bigger numbers ahead, as the Steelers come to town Sunday and have surrendered 30 points in each of the first two games for the first time since 2002. — Mike Reiss. [+3]
24th – Frank Schwab (Yahoo! Sports): The Patriots were in danger of being an ugly 0-2 with a home loss to the Raiders and a defeat to the Dolphins. Antonio Gibson’s kickoff return might end up being a turning point in their season. There are things to figure out, but it’s better to do that at 1-1. [+2]
24th – Nate Davis (USA Today): Tied for the league lead with 3½ sacks, OLB Harold Landry III is quickly proving worthy of his offseason investment. [+1]
25th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): Mike Vrabel will find space on the mantel for his first victory as Patriots head coach, but this one nearly got away from his team more than once. The Dolphins burned his defense several times, the kicking was bad, and the Patriots committed 12 penalties, wiping out a pick on one of them. Rookie kicker Andres Borregales missed his first two extra-point tries, which changed the game math and strategy. He made a 53-yard field goal, which was good, but then botched the ensuing kickoff. Borregales also missed a 40-yard kick in Week 1. Meanwhile, Parker Romo made all five of his field goal attempts, including one from 54 yards out, in his first game with Atlanta. Hmm. But forget all that for a moment. Drake Maye was awesome. After an un-awesome first game, he looked fantastic against a defense that might be pretty bad, but it’s still something. [nc]
25th – Ralph Vacchiano (Fox Sports): Mike Vrabel really pulled up the reins on QB Drake Maye, who turned in a very efficient performance (19 of 23, 230 yards, 2 TDs). But his defense couldn’t handle a bad Dolphins team, and they were lucky to escape with a win. [+1]
AVG RANK: 23.5 [+2.2]
