The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to travel to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots in week two of the 2026 NFL season. The Steelers are coming off a nail-biting 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons and will look to start the season 2-0. If Pittsburgh want any chance to win, they will need to clean up a lot of mistakes from Week 1’s struggles. They also have a lot of drama surrounding Joey Porter Jr. which may be negatively affecting the locker room and energy, but the Steelers have to remain focused on the goal. Here are some keys that will help Pittsburgh get the road win here in Week 2.
Steelers Keys To Week 2 Victory
Watch the Run
One of the biggest keys last week for the Steelers was to slow down the run game, and this week is no different it is just not quite the biggest key this time. With A.J. Brown out with a high ankle sprain, you can expect the Patriots to run the ball quite a bit to TreVeyon Henderson, who, on the flip side of things, is returning from an injury. If the Steelers can slow down the run and make Drake Maye air the ball out, that will be huge because he does tend to turn the ball over quite a bit.
The Run Game Has To Be Solid
Now we still have to talk about the run game, but this time for the Steelers. The offense struggled tremendously in Week 1, and they only scored one offensive touchdown. It’s important that the Steelers can get Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren going in the backfield with big runs and screen passes because the struggling offense is now down wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who has a foot injury and is questionable for Week 2.
Aaron Rodgers struggled in the season opener, and DK Metcalf had a bunch of drops, which makes it very important that the Steelers’ run game is solid at the absolute minimum. The good news is that it is only Week 1, and the Steelers’ offense could absolutely come together in the passing game. Rodgers didn’t play in preseason at all, so he may just need time to get going. This makes Pittman’s absence a big reason the run game has to be on because the passing game has struggled.
Put Pressure on Maye and Attack Early
For the final ‘key before kickoff, we have the defense. The Steelers defense looked absolutely incredible last week against the Falcons with two team interceptions, one from Jaquan Brisker and a pick-six from TJ Watt. The difference is that the Patriots are a much better team and do not have a third-string starter. With that being said, it is so important that the Steelers’ defense goes after Maye early because we have seen that he tends to turn the ball over quite a bit, as he threw three interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks in week one.
Considering the Steelers’ offensive struggles, the defense will have to play a strong game unless the offense can figure it out after having a game under their belt. They also need to attack early, and the first person who comes to mind is Watt. If Watt can put pressure on Maye and attack early, the defense can force him into turning the ball over, which would give the offense a huge break.
The Steelers have a tough road test this week against the defending AFC Champions, and it will take a lot to get the win and improve to 2-0. Do you think these are the biggest keys to a Steelers Week 2 victory?
Main Image: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
