Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-0
45
FINAL
19
New England
Patriots
0-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Pittsburgh Steelers cruised to a decisive 45-19 victory over the New England Patriots in Week 2 of the 2026 season. With this win, the Steelers continue to establish themselves as a formidable force in the league, while the Patriots face mounting pressure to turn their season around.
Aaron Rodgers was the star of the night for Pittsburgh, throwing for 297 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing his veteran prowess. Rico Dowdle complemented the passing game with a standout performance on the ground, rushing for 129 yards, while Pat Freiermuth led the receiving corps with 121 yards. Together, they formed an offensive juggernaut that proved too much for the Patriots to handle.
Defensively, the Steelers made their mark with a strong performance, highlighted by Alex Highsmith's sack, which disrupted New England's offensive rhythm. The game shifted decisively in the second quarter when the Steelers scored three unanswered touchdowns, leaving the Patriots scrambling to catch up. Although Robert Spillane led the Patriots with five total tackles and Carlton Davis III grabbed an interception, it wasn’t enough to stem the tide against a relentless Pittsburgh attack.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 32 | 20 | 63% | 297 | 4 | 1 | 119.4 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 23 | 6 | 26% | 190 | 2 | 2 | 54.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 17 | 129 | 7.6 | 21 | 1 | 35 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 11 | 86 | 7.8 | 74 | 1 | 56 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 10 | 50 | 5.0 | 11 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 7 | 121 | 17.3 | 79 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 1 | 80 | 80.0 | 63 | 1 | 80 | 0 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 1 | 64 | 64.0 | 34 | 1 | 64 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | — | 2 | 24 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 4 | 48 | 12.0 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 3 | 44 | 14.7 | 20 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 3 | 40 | 13.3 | 47 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 29 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DeMario Douglas | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Woodson | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Jacas | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kenny Moore II | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Darius Muasau | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Byard III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DaQuan Jones | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karon Prunty | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spears-Jennings | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jaylen Reed | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rayshawn Jenkins | FS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Sanders | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 3 | 6 | 41 |

