Steelers defense forces 5 turnovers in puzzling win over Patriots

Brian Batko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 21, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There’s no such thing as moral victories in the NFL, and fortunately for the Steelers, there’s no such thing as a bad win.

They’re 2-1 now after beating the Patriots, 21-14, Sunday at Gillette Stadium — the Steelers’ first victory in this monstrous building since 2008 — but their method of doing so was less than impressive. It was more confounding than anything, at least until Aaron Rodgers dug deep and got the last laugh with a 17-yard back-shoulder touchdown throw to Calvin Austin III with 2:16 remaining.

This was no Boston Tea Party. This was a Boston TO party for the Patriots, but there was nothing to celebrate. It was purely destructive.

Drake Maye was consistently impressive throughout the game with his arm strength and mobility, only to foil himself with an interception in the end zone and a fourth-quarter lost fumble when he was strip-sacked by Nick Herbig. Maye didn’t get much help from his friends in that regard either, as Rhamondre Stevenson lost two fumbles and Antonio Gibson rounded out New England’s five turnovers with a giveaway of his own.

The Steelers mostly played horribly, other than their dominance in that stat column. Defensively, they let the Patriots convert 6 of 13 third-downs and 4 of 5 fourth-downs. Offensively, they had another good start with touchdowns on their first two drives, but then could barely pick up a first down in the second half until late in the fourth quarter.

New England (1-2) outgained the Steelers, 369-204, and Maye threw for 268 yards on 28-of-37 passing, with two touchdowns to a wide-open Hunter Henry. Former Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane had one of the best games of his career, stuffing the stat sheet with 15 tackles plus an interception.

Speaking of which, that Spillane pick was a horrible throw by Rodgers, who finished with just 139 passing yards but two touchdowns to the one interception. Rodgers also lofted a 12-yard score to DK Metcalf early in the second quarter to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead. But the Steelers didn’t slam the door shut, because that’s something they rarely do anymore, even when they find a way to win.

It was over when

Backup cornerback Brandin Echols, in a more pronounced role because of Joey Porter Jr.’s injury, managed to bring down DeMario Douglas in space for a fourth-down for no gain with 1:03 left.

Player of the game

Cam Heyward. Heyward saved the Steelers' offense and defense multiple times, and this is two weeks in a row now that he’s wreaking havoc up front. First, he bailed out his teammates with a tipped pass that wound up in the hands of Brandin Echols for an interception in the end zone to end the first half. Then, Heyward narrowly managed to get a hand on the ball and strip Stevenson inches before he broke the plane in the third quarter. Payton Wilson recovered the fumble. If you’re scoring at home, that’s effectively a 14-point swing you can attribute almost directly to Heyward’s efforts and knack for producing takeaways.

Trending up

Jabrill Peppers. One week after playing zero defensive snaps in his Steelers debut, Peppers was entrusted with a significant early-down role against his former team. And Peppers couldn’t have drawn it up much better, from the victory to playing a key role in it. He put his helmet right on Antonio Gibson and dislodged the ball for a crucial turnover. Better yet for Peppers, the ball ended up taking the right bounce back to him, and he got credit for both the force and the recovery. For a defense that’s been beaten down by injuries, especially in the secondary, Peppers pitching in as a newcomer is a welcome sight.

Trending down

Chuck Clark. It’s not just that Peppers has already cut into Clark’s playing time at safety (and Juan Thornhill, too) on likely running downs, but Clark dropped two interception opportunities. On the second, he had a chance to pick off a pass and give the Steelers offense the kind of field position it badly needed in this one. Unfortunately for Clark, the ball hit the ground, and it was quickly overturned as an incomplete pass. Maye threw it right to him and he has to make that play, particularly as a veteran.

Up next

The much-anticipated trip to Dublin to play the Vikings, the Steelers’ first international game since 2013, when they also faced Minnesota.

____