Where to begin? This was a frustrating game to watch, for all of the nice drives the offense was putting together, they were more than erased by turnovers, five turnovers to be exact and it left the wearers of the throwback Pat the Patriot uniforms, red-faced with defeat.
The Steelers won 21-14 precisely because they (with one exception) didn’t turn the football over. And this was an eminently winnable game against a Steelers team that is flawed, but they didn’t beat themselves.
When you turn the ball over five times with four fumbles and an interception, you won’t win many football games and today’s stinker at Gillette was no exception.
The Patriots were just awful in the first quarter and found themselves down 14-0. They clawed their way back into the game with a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry to make it 14-7, and then went on a long 17-play, 92-yard drive that took over seven minutes at the end of the second quarter, ended in disaster when Maye’s third down pass was tipped at the line and picked off in the end zone. The play calling on the final three plays was curious… is one way of looking at it.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Robert Spillane picked off Aaron Rodgers and the Patriots found themselves at the Steelers 2-yard line, that’s where Stevenson’s second fumble was recovered in the end zone.
Two drives inside the 5-yard line, zero points. That is unacceptable.
Stevenson’s Ball Security Issues Require a Long Look:
The Patriots need to take a long look at Rhamondre Stevenson after this game and figure out where they go from here. Stevenson is a very talented running back, he was the Patriots’ best player on the field a week ago.
But his fumbling issues could easily be pointed at as the reason they lost the game. After a nightmarish season in 2024 with seven fumbles lost, it has reared its ugly head again. He put the ball on the ground in the opener against Las Vegas, and then fumbled two more times today, one of which was about a foot from the goal line wiping out what would have been a tying touchdown.
While Stevenson was hardly alone in the fumbling department, Antonio Gibson and Drake Maye each had lost fumbles of their own, it now comes down to a trust issue. I think at this point, the Patriots have to go with Gibson next week, with Henderson as the third-down back.
Drake Maye Continues To Ascend But Turnovers Hurt:
Maye had his best day as a pro last week and followed it up with a 28-37 for 268 yards with two TDs and an INT, for a passer rating of 102.1. He added in seven scrambles for 45 yards. But the turnovers were killers, especially the INT in the end zone at the end of the first half.
“It hurts. I think it’s one of those things that just kept piling on … . It cost us. It hurts. It’s something to learn from. It’s a long season,” Maye said. “The defense played their butts off, and the guys in the locker room are playing hard and they’re fighting hard. It’s tough, and it stings just knowing we hurt ourselves, and that’s what cost us.”
The Wide Receivers Are Not Producing Enough:
The Patriots passing game goes through the running backs for the most part, and teams are going to home in on that and take it away eventually as they get more tape on the offense.
Through the first three games, the WRs are not producing near enough yardage. Overall, the WRs caught 12 passes against the Steelers, for 92 yards. Stefon Diggs is still working his way back from a torn ACL last year.
But thus far, Demario Douglas has been a disappointment. Today he caught just two passes for seven yards. He was the target on the Patriots final offensive snap. Facing a 4th & 2 on the Steelers’ 28, Douglas ran a short route that didn’t get him over the needed area for the first down. He then backed up and tried to juke a defender… and lost yardage. It was THAT kind of day for the offense.
-The defense settled in after the first quarter. Pittsburgh averaged just 2.5 yards per rush and ran for just 64 yards. Rodgers passed for only 139 yards, after back-to-back weeks of allowing 300 yard passers, the game wasn’t lost by the defense
– Spillane had a very good game, beside the interception, he had 15 tackles, a tackle for loss (TFL), and a pass defensed.
-The front seven had a very solid game, although they didn’t register any sacks, they did their job and provided the offense every opportunity to get right back into the game.
– Hunter Henry was the go-to guy for the offense this afternoon, catching eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
Every Stevenson fumble from here is on Vrabel. It took Mayo seven times to at least say he was benched. Is Vrabel a better coach? It seems like he’s having trouble getting over a pretty low bar.Turn overs, pre snap penalties and moronic situational play. Been done that already Mike.
It should have been more likely than not that this team would have some wrinkles and issues to smooth out this year. Especially in Sept/Oct. New offense and new D systems are not implemented to perfection in one off-season. That takes time. Add in a ton of new players into that mix, with many that are young, and you won’t get polished football. Consider there’s none of the offensive lineman played together last year, and two are rookies. Line cohesion takes a lot of time. Consider that Drake may has not played 17 games yet in the NFL and only… Read more »