Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-0
58
FINAL
17
New England
Patriots
0-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a commanding display, the Pittsburgh Steelers topped the New England Patriots 58-17 in Week 2 of the 2026 season. This victory not only solidifies the Steelers' strong start but also sends a clear message to the rest of the league about their offensive firepower and overall dominance.
Leading the charge for Pittsburgh was quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw for an impressive 276 yards and four touchdowns. Running back James Starks was a dual threat, amassing 233 rushing yards and adding 119 receiving yards, showcasing his versatility and playmaking ability throughout the game. Together, they formed an unstoppable offensive duo that kept the Patriots on their heels.
Defensively, the Steelers were equally formidable, with Cortez Allen leading the team in tackles and LaMarr Woodley contributing with a sack. The game’s turning point came when Donte Whitner snagged two interceptions, effectively halting the Patriots' momentum and allowing the Steelers to extend their lead. Pittsburgh's ability to dominate on both sides of the ball was key to their resounding victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | QB | 20 | 13 | 65% | 276 | 4 | 1 | 127.0 |
| Jay Cutler | QB | 29 | 14 | 48% | 244 | 0 | 4 | 37.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Starks | HB | 19 | 233 | 12.3 | 69 | 2 | 59 | 0 |
| Matt Ryan | QB | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | — | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Ovie Mughelli | HB | 7 | 10 | 1.4 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Jay Cutler | QB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Lousaka Polite | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Aaron Hernandez | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaac Redman | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Randall Cobb | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Julian Edelman | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis | HB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Starks | HB | 6 | 119 | 19.8 | 84 | 1 | 62 | 0 |
| Rob Gronkowski | TE | 6 | 114 | 19.0 | 32 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Aaron Hernandez | TE | 3 | 78 | 26.0 | 13 | 1 | 48 | 0 |
| Daniel Gronkowski | TE | 1 | 54 | 54.0 | 31 | 0 | 54 | 0 |
| Randall Cobb | WR | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| Arnaz Battle | WR | 1 | 34 | 34.0 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 0 |
| Jerricho Cotchery | WR | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 14 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Wes Welker | WR | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Julian Edelman | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Mike Wallace | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | — | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Ovie Mughelli | HB | 2 | -3 | -1.5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortez Allen | CB | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Donte Whitner | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Tillman | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kyle Arrington | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin McCourty | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Shaun Ellis | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LaMarr Woodley | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| William Gay | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ras-I Dowling | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lawrence Foote | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dashon Goldson | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jerod Mayo | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Harrison | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Ninkovich | LEDG | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Paul Posluszny | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Will Allen | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryant McFadden | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Magee | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameron Heyward | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Griffith | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Ihedigbo | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Chung | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brett Keisel | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Barrett | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Aaron Smith | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leigh Bodden | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Gostkowski | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 51 |
| Daniel Sepulveda | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaun Suisham | K | 1 | 1 | 7 | 21 |

