Despite coming off an embarrassing 31-17 Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still favored in their Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. The Steelers enter the week as consensus 1.5-point favorites, per VSiN, for their matchup at Gillette Stadium.
It hasn’t been a pretty start to the season for the Patriots, who, like Pittsburgh, enter the contest at 1-1. The Patriots dropped their Week 1 matchup at home to the Las Vegas Raiders before rebounding in Week 2 and eking out a road win over the Miami Dolphins in a back-and-forth game. The Patriots’ 33-27 win was their first victory in Miami since Week 2 of 2019, Antonio Brown’s lone game with New England.
The Patriots have gotten solid play from second-year QB Drake Maye, who was an efficient 19-of-23 for 230 yards and two touchdowns through the air against Miami. He also added 31 yards and a score on the ground. Despite drafting RB TreVeyon Henderson in the second round, veteran Rhamondre Stevenson has been the Patriots’ lead back. He had a good game against Miami, accounting for 142 total yards.
The Patriots also signed WR Stefon Diggs this offseason, but he’s been a little bit slow to get going, with 10 catches for 89 yards through two weeks. It’s a Patriots team that’s undergone a lot of turnover defensively in its first year under head coach Mike Vrabel, but LB Marte Mapu is a holdover, and he made a big play with a fourth-quarter interception against Miami. Some new faces include DT Milton Williams, who had two sacks in Week 2, as well as CB Carlton Davis III.
New England also has some names that should be familiar to Steelers fans, with LB Robert Spillane being signed during the offseason. LB Mark Robinson is on New England’s practice squad but has been elevated for both of its games to open the season.
The Patriots saw Aaron Rodgers twice last season with the New York Jets. In Week 3, Rodgers got the better of New England on Thursday Night Football in a 24-3 win, but the Patriots squeaked out a 25-22 win later in the season. It’s a new staff and a lot of new players, but there’s still some familiarity.
A win over the Patriots would be just Pittsburgh’s second since 2010. It would also mark their first win at Gillette Stadium since 2008 when the Steelers beat Patriots team led by Matt Cassel, 33-10. The Steelers are 0-4 in Foxboro since that game and just 1-7 since 2000. It would also mark the Steelers’ first win over the Patriots since 2018.
Despite their lack of success in Foxboro, the Steelers are still slight favorites. One advantage the Steelers will have is in the kicking game, as New England rookie K Andy Borregales missed two extra points in Week 2 and missed a field goal in Week 1. Between two rather evenly matched teams, that could wind up being the difference, and it could be one reason why the Steelers are favored.
