Patriots tee off on Aaron Rodgers, hapless Steelers offense to bounce back from Week 1 loss

For the second time in two 2026 games, Drake Maye wasn’t great. On Sunday, he didn’t need to be.

style="text-align: left;">New England’s defense teed off on Aaron Rodgers and an impotent Pittsburgh Steelers offense for a 20-3 Patriots win.

style="text-align: left;">The Patriots forced two fumbles from the 42-yard Steelers quarterback. One of them resulted in a 36-yard loss and a fourth-and-43 punt. The second resulted in a scoop-and-score touchdown that extended New England’s lead to 20-3 and iced the win.

style="text-align: left;">New England ended Pittsburgh’s best chance of scoring a touchdown with an interception of Rodgers that abruptly ended a drive that gained 72 yards on 11 plays.

style="text-align: left;">When Rodgers wasn’t getting hit or turning the ball over, he faced consistent pressure and struggled to move Pittsburgh’s offense in any meaningful way.

style="text-align: left;">When his day was done, Rodgers had completed 23 of 39 passes for 187 yards (4.8 yards per attempt) with no touchdowns and 1 interception. He took four sacks and was hit seven other times. Pittsburgh’s offense managed 227 yards on 3.5 yards per play.

style="text-align: left;">The Patriots struck first on Sunday with a 39-yard first-quarter touchdown run from TreVeyon Henderson in his first game of the season after missing Week 1 with an ankle injury. That turned out to be all the points New England needed to secure the win.

style="text-align: left;">With the Patriots holding a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, Pittsburgh had a shot to get on the board with third-and-7 at New England’s 22-yard line. But Christian Elliss sacked Rodgers and forced a fumble, setting off a mad scramble as the ball bounced back toward the Pittsburgh end zone.

style="text-align: left;">Steelers tackler Troy Fautanu eventually recored the ball, but the 36-yard loss doomed Pittsburgh’s scoring chance and forced a punt on the next play.

A fumble for you, a fumble for you and a fumble for you. Steelers face 4th & 43 after LT Troy Fautanu recovers the loose ball from Aaron Rodgers strip sack.pic.twitter.com/4U0TBHghot

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 20, 2026Then in the fourth quarter, the Patriots forced Rodgers’ second fumble of the day, this time in Steelers territory. Christian Barmore got pressure up the middle and force the ball loose. Elijah Ponder scooped it up and returned the ball 19 yards for a touchdown.

STRIP SACK SCOOP & SCORE‼️

📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/8iXt4tlZS4

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2026This story will be updated