Patriots Can Gain Major Respect With Week 3 Win

The New England Patriots are on the board with a win after beating the Miami Dolphins, but they could double their victory total by getting the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.

NFL.com writer Eric Edholm conducted a recent power ranking where the Patriots clocked in at No. 25.

"Mike Vrabel will find space on the mantel for his first victory as Patriots head coach, but this one nearly got away from his team more than once," Edholm wrote.

"The Dolphins burned his defense several times, the kicking was bad, and the Patriots committed 12 penalties, wiping out a pick on one of them. Rookie kicker Andres Borregales missed his first two extra-point tries, which changed the game math and strategy. He made a 53-yard field goal, which was good, but then botched the ensuing kickoff. Borregales also missed a 40-yard kick in Week 1. Meanwhile, Parker Romo made all five of his field goal attempts, including one from 54 yards out, in his first game with Atlanta.

"Hmm. But forget all that for a moment. Drake Maye was awesome. After an un-awesome first game, he looked fantastic against a defense that might be pretty bad, but it's still something."

Sep 14, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) looks to pass against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The only teams that ranked below the Pats were the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.

A win against the Steelers would help the Pats tremendously in their climb towards the top of the NFL hierarchy. The Steelers clocked in at No. 20 on the power rankings, four spots lower than the previous iteration due to a two-touchdown loss at home to the winless Seattle Seahawks.

"Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense had their chances to make the Seahawks pay for some early mistakes, but they settled for two field goals and two three-and-outs in their first four possessions," Edholm wrote.

"It got worse in the third quarter, when the Steelers came up empty on three possessions, including a red-zone pick. Now let’s move to the defense, which has been a sieve thus far. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the Steelers have allowed 30-plus points in two games to start the season. Even with some big plays on that side vs. Seattle, it was an equally unimpressive effort against the run and pass overall."

The Patriots will face a scorned Steelers team, so it won't be easy to pull out a victory against them. In order to do that, they will have to take advantage of the defense playing poorly over the last two weeks.

Should the Patriots come away with the win, it could boost even more confidence for the young roster after grabbing consecutive victories for the first time since 2022.

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