On Sunday afternoon, the New England Patriots took the field at home for a game against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, with both teams looking for their second win of the season. In theory, it would be a good early-season test for Drake Maye against an elite defense, but Pittsburgh's unit on that end of the field hasn't exactly held up its end of the bargain so far this year.
However, the Steelers were able to make some plays when their defense was backed all the way up on its own end zone, much to the frustration of Maye in the Patriots.
In fact, so impressive was Pittsburgh's defense (and inept the Patriots' offense) in those situations that something that hadn't occurred in two seasons took place.
“From ESPN Research: The Patriots are the first team with multiple turnovers inside their opponent's 5 yard line since the Eagles in Week 8, 2023 (against the Commanders),” reported Mike Reiss of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
For most of the afternoon, Drake Maye and company had no problem moving the ball down the field, but with the two turnovers, they left 14 potential points on the board.
Overall, New England's offense has been up and down to start the 2025 NFL season. In Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Patriots weren't able to get much of anything going, leading to a dud of a loss to open up the season.
However, last week, the Patriots bounced back in resounding fashion on the road against the divisional rival Miami Dolphins.
It remains to be seen what the overarching theme for the New England offense will be this season, but they'd certainly like to cut the turnovers down.
In any case, after the Steelers game, the Patriots will next take the field next Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
