4 Losers, 3 Winners From Steelers' Blowout Loss to Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers were thoroughly embarrassed by the New England Patriots in Week 2, falling by a score of 20-3.

With just about nothing to feel confident about on the offensive side of the ball, it's back to the drawing board for the Steelers as they depart Gillette Stadium.

With that, here are four losers and three winners for Pittsburgh as it moves to 1-1 on the season.

Loser: DK Metcalf

Another week, another game plagued by drops for Metcalf.

After a rough outing against the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener that saw him fail to haul in several throws from Aaron Rodgers, Metcalf didn't remedy those issues with his hands at Gillette Stadium.

Metcalf finished with two drops against New England, including one where he was wide-open on a drag route that would've been a certain first down had he caught it on 3rd-and-3 towards the end of the third quarter.

He simply hasn't lived up to the billing of a No. 1 wide receiver, and he has to sort things out quickly if Pittsburgh's offense has any chance of turning things around.

Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) reacts in the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Winner: T.J. Watt

Watt, coming off a two-sack performance with a pick-six against the Falcons, was dominant once again in this contest.

The 31-year-old led the Steelers with 1.5 sacks on the day while also logging four total tackles and making some noise against the run as well.

There haven't been many bright spots to open the campaign for Pittsburgh, but Watt's resurgence is certainly one of them.

Loser: The Entire Offensive Line

Pittsburgh's offensive line generated plenty of concern over the summer for its poor play as an entire unit in training camp and the preseason.

The group played poorly against a mediocre Atlanta pass rush in Week 1, and they showed no signs of progress against the Patriots.

The Steelers struggled on the ground for a majority of the contest, finishing with 91 yards on 23 attempts (4.0 yards per carry), though pass protection was once again the main concern.

Rodgers was in constant distress, and he rarely had ample time to throw throughout the game. The Patriots recorded four sacks, two of which caused Rodgers to fumble, to go with seven quarterback hits.

The Steelers could switch things up by inserting Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor into the starting lineup in place of Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook at right guard and right tackle, respectively, but even Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier also took a healthy amount of losses.

Winner: Alex Highsmith

Much like Watt, Highsmith's year got off to a roaring start with two sacks vs. the Falcons last week.

He was rather spectacular against New England too, notching a team-high three quarterback hits with a sack, two tackles for loss and three total pressures (per Pro Football Focus).

There's plenty to worry about in Pittsburgh, though there's no complaints with how Highsmith has performed thus far.

Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes against the New England Patriots in the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Loser: Aaron Rodgers

To be clear, Rodgers wasn't set up for success given the play of the offensive line.

Regardless, his shortcomings at 42-year-old were on full display, though, as he couldn't avoid the rush from New England and is simply limited in what he can do if the pocket isn't clean.

If everything around Rodgers has to be nearly perfect in order for his strengths to shine, than the Steelers' offensive operation isn't going to be successful.

The team needs him to elevate the unit as a whole, and he didn't come close to accomplishing that task against the Patriots.

Winner: Nick Herbig

Herbig made perhaps the biggest play of the contest for Pittsburgh, sniffing out a screen to Efton Chism III on 3rd-and-1 at its own 27-yard line and tackling him for a two-yard loss. New England went on to miss a 47-yard field goal attempt that kept the Steelers' deficit at 10-3 with a little under four minutes left in the third quarter.

He didn't make much noise as a pass rusher, though he was second on the team in tackles with seven and was far more of a positive than a negative.

Loser: Rayshawn Jenkins

Jenkins appeared to lose Romeo Doubs deep for a 63-yard reception with a little over two minutes left in the third quarter, setting the Patriots up for a field goal that put them up 13-3 and pushed the contest further out of reach for Pittsburgh.

He was also blocked out of the play by DeMario Douglas on TreVeyon Henderson's 39-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!

Add us as a preferred source on Google