New England takes control
The New England Patriots held the Pittsburgh Steelers scoreless in three quarters to earn a 20-3 Week 2 win at Gillette Stadium. Both teams finished the game at 1-1. New England built a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and went into halftime ahead 10-3. The Patriots added three points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth while keeping Pittsburgh off the scoreboard throughout the second half. The result gave New England its first win after a 13-10 loss at Seattle. Pittsburgh followed its season-opening 20-13 victory over Atlanta with a game in which its only points came in the second quarter.
Defense sets the terms
New England limited Pittsburgh to 235 yards, recorded four sacks, intercepted one pass and recovered one fumble. That combination left the Steelers little room to keep pace, even with the Patriots scoring only three points in each of the middle two quarters. Jaylen Warren carried 11 times for 43 yards and added 34 receiving yards on two catches. Rico Dowdle contributed 22 rushing yards on seven attempts and another 22 yards on two receptions. Roman Wilson caught five of six targets for 28 yards. Germie Bernard drew eight targets and finished with four catches for 35 yards, while Pat Freiermuth caught four of five targets for 32 yards and added a two-yard carry.
Henderson and Doubs provide the offense
TreVeyon Henderson gave New England 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Romeo Doubs supplied the largest receiving total among the listed performers, turning three catches on four targets into 96 yards. Drake Maye completed 14 of 22 passes for 208 yards with one interception and ran four times for 17 yards. Hunter Henry added three receptions for 40 yards on five targets. The Patriots paired those contributions with scoring in every quarter, steadily extending their advantage after halftime.
Fantasy returns and Week 3
New England's defense delivered 20.0 fantasy points. Henderson posted 13.6 PPR points and Doubs finished with 12.6, making them the game's highest-scoring offensive fantasy performers. Warren led Pittsburgh's listed players with 9.7 PPR points. Wilson finished with 7.8, Bernard with 7.5 and Freiermuth with 7.4. Maye and Patriots kicker Andy Borregales each scored 8.0 fantasy points. Pittsburgh hosts the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, while New England visits the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both games are scheduled for September 27 at 1 p.m. ET.