Pittsburgh
Steelers
1-0
17
FINAL
27
New England
Patriots
1-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe New England Patriots secured a 27-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 of the 2026 season, marking a crucial win as both teams seek to establish their identities early in the year. This matchup was pivotal for both squads, with the Patriots aiming to build momentum at home while the Steelers looked to bounce back after an opening loss.
Aaron Rodgers led the Steelers with a solid performance, throwing for 259 yards and a touchdown, but it was A.J. Brown of the Patriots who stole the spotlight with 122 receiving yards, proving to be a reliable target. Jaylen Warren contributed with 66 rushing yards, but it was the Patriots' offensive efficiency that ultimately made the difference, allowing them to capitalize on key opportunities.
The New England defense played a significant role in the outcome, highlighted by Bobby Wagner's ten tackles and Kevin Byard III's interception, which shifted momentum late in the game. The turning point came when Byard's interception set up a crucial touchdown, extending the Patriots' lead and sealing the victory. Cam Heyward's two sacks provided some defensive highlights for Pittsburgh, but it was the Patriots' ability to make critical stops that ultimately secured their triumph.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 41 | 25 | 61% | 259 | 1 | 1 | 77.1 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 36 | 22 | 61% | 224 | 1 | 0 | 88.1 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 14 | 66 | 4.7 | 16 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 15 | 64 | 4.3 | 15 | 1 | 21 | 1 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | HB | 9 | 60 | 6.7 | 31 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 6 | 35 | 5.8 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 4 | 7 | 1.8 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Eli Heidenreich | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Brown | WR | 8 | 122 | 15.3 | 40 | 1 | 36 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 10 | 97 | 9.7 | 24 | 1 | 24 | 3 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 16 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 6 | 47 | 7.8 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | 3 | 35 | 11.7 | 12 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 5 | 35 | 7.0 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | — | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Dawson Knox | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Byard III | FS | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Wagner | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Milano | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Woodson | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaQuan Jones | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Barmore | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dell Pettus | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harold Landry III | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gabe Jacas | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandin Echols | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Borregales | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 45 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

