The Patriots are feeling good coming off the first win of the Vrabel era in Miami last week, but plenty of questions remain about this team heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
On both sides of the ball, the Patriots need to build on their 33-27 victory over the Dolphins by establishing an identity: how do they want to play to get consistent performance out of the offense and the defense?
After a slow start in the opener, OC Josh McDaniels turned up the creativity to provide a more dynamic scheme for QB Drake Maye and his supporting cast in Miami. The results were Maye’s best game as a pro, which was the top quarterback performance based on expected points added per drop-back in Week 2 (+0.57). McDaniels livened up the scheme with more motion, moving pockets and under-center run actions, which created downfield layups for Maye early in last Sunday’s win. Then, the Pats QB made big-time plays in the drop-back passing game.
Now, McDaniels and the coaching staff need to decide between embracing the under-center schemes as their base offense or being more game-plan oriented with week-to-week flexibility. From this perspective, the outside zone/duo run sequencing with moving pockets and window dressing is a great starting point that New England will hopefully adopt as their base offense while expanding upon their plan vs. the Dolphins.
Although the offense’s performance was encouraging, the Patriots defense has allowed a league-high 677 passing yards in the first two weeks of the 2025 season. They’re also 29th in drop-back EPA and 31st in passer rating allowed (126.1) while playing without star CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), who returned to practice this week. In March, the Patriots signed veteran Carlton Davis in free agency to pair with Gonzalez to form a lockdown cornerback tandem, leading head coach Mike Vrabel to say the following line during Davis’s introductory press conference: “Hopefully, we can just play cat coverage. You got this cat, I got that cat.”
So far, Davis has been as advertised, manning one of the starting cornerback spots. However, Gonzalez’s absence from a hamstring injury he suffered early in training camp has led to struggles for the defense in man coverage, forcing them to play fewer man schemes than the Pats probably envisioned when they built this defense in the offseason, ranking middle of the pack in man coverage rate through two weeks (29.3%). Currently, New England is 31st in expected points added (+0.48) and last in yards per pass attempt (11.2) allowed in man coverage. We won’t jump to any conclusions until their All-Pro corner returns. Still, New England needs to find a formula to slow down opposing passing attacks, starting this week with 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
The Steelers present plenty of problems with a talented roster, but the Patriots are familiar with Pittsburgh’s coaching staff. Steelers OC Arthur Smith spent three seasons on Vrabel’s coaching staff in Tennessee, including two as Vrabel’s offensive coordinator. New England’s offenses have also usually fared well against the Steelers defensive system, whether that was Bailey Zappe (21-18 win in 2023), Mac Jones (17-14 win in 2022), or in the Brady years. Although it’s always players over plays, the Patriots institutional knowledge of the Steelers coaching staff could help them prepare for Sunday’s contest.
As we turn the page to Pittsburgh, let’s break down the schematic chess match between the Patriots and Steelers in Foxboro on Sunday.
Pats Offense vs. Steelers Defense: Will the Steelers Stick to Playing Man Coverage?
The Patriots early-season trends need to be taken with a grain of salt due to the small sample size, but there’s a strategy forming against Maye.
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