The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to travel to the one place they haven’t won since 2008, a drought spanning nearly 17 full years — 16 years, 294 days to be exact. That’s a long time between wins in Foxboro against the New England Patriots.
Coming off a disappointing loss in the home opener to the Seattle Seahawks last week, the Steelers need a bounce back in a big way. It won’t be easy against the Mike Vrabel-led Patriots. Drake Maye looks like a promising young QB, and the defense that saw significant investments made this offseason is getting after the opposing quarterback in a big way.
Add in a familiar face calling the shots offensively in Josh McDaniels, and things don’t look so good for the Steelers. But that’s why they play the games.
There will be games within the game to watch, especially individual matchups. Those will be key. There are plenty of them this week from top to bottom in all three phases for the Steelers on the road against the Patriots.
Below are my four key matchups to watch Sunday.
STEELERS RG MASON MCCORMICK VS. PATRIOTS DT MILTON WILLIAMS
The Patriots come into Week 3 leading the NFL in sacks with nine and pressures with 39, so they’ll be a formidable test in the trenches for a Steelers offensive line that has struggled to protect 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers through two weeks. The Steelers offensive line has allowed seven sacks and 15 quarterback hits. It needs to be better, period. And it starts in Week 3.
Up front, Milton Williams is the big name for the Patriots. Signed after winning a Super Bowl with Philadelphia, Williams has been a disruptive force. He has two sacks, three QB hits and nine total pressures. New England moves him all over the defensive front, but he’ll see the majority of his snaps against Pittsburgh right guard Mason McCormick.
McCormick has not been good in pass protection so far this season. He has a 45.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, though he’s allowed just two pressures. He’ll have his hands full Sunday. He needs to hold up against Williams to give Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense time to function. If not, it could be a very long day.
STEELERS WR DK METCALF VS. PATRIOTS CB CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ
All indications are that Patriots standout cornerback Christian Gonzalez will make his return to the field this week after missing almost all of training camp and the first two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury. His return will be a massive boost to a secondary that has struggled so far.
He’ll be thrown right into the fire in Week 3 against Steelers receiver DK Metcalf. The Steelers’ big-name WR acquisition is coming off of a quiet Week 2 against his old team, hauling in just three passes for 20 yards, though he did have a touchdown in the game. Metcalf dropped a pair of passes and really hasn’t looked like himself the first two weeks. He has to find his game.
Against a secondary that has struggled to keep a lid on things and tackle well, Metcalf should be force-fed the football, even if Gonzalez is on him. Last season against the Patriots in New England, Metcalf had four receptions for 27 yards on seven targets with Gonzalez in coverage, according to PFF.
PATRIOTS TE HUNTER HENRY VS. STEELERS ILB PAYTON WILSON
Coming into the season, Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson declared himself one of the best coverage linebackers in football. So far this season, though, he’s been anything but. Wilson has allowed six receptions on six targets for 114 yards through two weeks. Of those 114 yards, 92 have come after the catch. It’s been a rough start to the season for Wilson, both in coverage and as a run defender.
Now, he will have to deal with veteran TE Hunter Henry in Week 3. Henry is at his best when he’s lined up in-line. According to PFF, Henry is third in the NFL among all TEs in receiving yards when aligned in-line. The Steelers defense sits 29th in yards allowed to TEs aligned in-line. That could be a real matchup problem for the Steelers, particularly with Wilson.
Play-action could be a major weapon for the Patriots and QB Drake Maye on Sunday, especially with the Steelers struggling to consistently stop the run and potentially selling out. Wilson had issues last week with his eyes in the play-action game and gave up some big plays. Look for Henry to try and exploit the young LB.
PATRIOTS LT WILL CAMPBELL VS. STEELERS OLB NICK HERBIG
As the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Patriots left tackle Will Campbell is a high-pedigree player. He’s viewed as the key building block for the Patriots in the trenches long-term. In his rookie season Campbell has played all 131 snaps for New England and has been pretty steady. He’s allowed four pressure and given up one sack, but that’s across 84 pass blocking reps. Heck of a start to his career.
He’ll have a major test in Week 3 though as Nick Herbig is set to start in place of the injured Alex Highsmith. Herbig is one of the better pass rushers in football and made an impact right away last week for the Steelers in his return from a hamstring injury. Herbig had four pressures in Week 2 and also had a huge interception in the first half. He’s on the smaller side, but he’s an elite athlete with tremendous bend and pad level. He can turn the corner in the blink of an eye.
The Patriots should give Campbell some help, but if they leave him 1-on-1, Herbig has to win the matchup time and time again, especially with the attention that’ll be paid to T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward up front.
