FOXBOROUGH, MA – For much of Sunday, it felt like the New England Patriots were trying to beat themselves. In the end, they succeeded.
The Patriots fell 21-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium, undone by five turnovers — two lost fumbles by Rhamondre Stevenson, one from Antonio Gibson, a Drake Maye fumble, and a Maye interception. Two of those giveaways came inside the Steelers’ 5-yard line, erasing critical scoring chances.
Despite the miscues, New England clawed back from a 14-0 deficit. Rookie quarterback Maye hit Hunter Henry for two touchdowns, the second on a gutsy fourth-down call that tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The defense stiffened after a shaky start, forcing four punts and snagging an interception to give the Patriots life.
But with just over two minutes left, Maye’s strip-sack handed the ball back to Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Rodgers — finally winning in Foxborough for the first time in his career — capped a nine-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown strike to Calvin Austin III for the decisive score.
Maye nearly engineered one more comeback, driving New England to the Pittsburgh 28. But on 4th-and-1, DeMario Douglas was stopped short, sealing the Patriots’ first home loss of the Vrabel era.
Maye finished 28 of 37 for 268 yards and two TDs but committed two costly turnovers. The Patriots outgained Pittsburgh 369-203 and held the ball for nearly seven more minutes, but none of it mattered in the face of giveaways and penalties.
For a team that prides itself on discipline and toughness, this was a bitter reminder: in Foxborough, self-inflicted wounds can still sting the loudest.
New England falls to 1-2 and will try to regroup next week against the Carolina Panthers.
Patriots-Steelers Recap
- Patriots commit five turnovers, most since 2008.
- Maye throws for 268 yards, two TDs to Hunter Henry.
- Steelers’ defense makes two goal-line stands and delivers game-winning stop.
• • Patriots drop to 1-2 ahead of Week 4 matchup with Carolina.
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