The Patriots loss to the Steelers is one of those reviews that confirms your prior feelings about this loss either way; do you want to be glass half full or half empty?

Although it doesn't totally feel like it at 1-2, the Patriots are playing better football than in recent years. Pittsburgh's offense had one first down from 9:01 in the second quarter to 12:28 in the fourth quarter, nearly two full quarters where the Steelers went: three-and-out, interception, three-and-out, three-and-out, and five-and-out. Offensively, the Pats were in scoring territory six times, with drives that gained 77 yards (TD), 92 yards (INT), 88 yards (TD), and two 45-yard drives (fumble, downs). Were we seeing this team control games like that in 2023-24? No, we weren't.

That said, the win-loss record is all that matters. As head coach Mike Vrabel likes to say, the Patriots coaching staff breaks the film into three buckets: the good, the bad, and the stuff that gets you beat. New England did too many things that get you beat on Sunday: five turnovers, a 23.3% missed tackle rate (14 total), and five first downs by penalty.

"There's a lot to clean up. A lot of good in there, but unfortunately just not enough to get us to win, to get us to really have any sort of advantage in a football game," Vrabel said following Sunday's loss.

Although the stuff that got the Patriots beat was frustrating on Sunday, it's important to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. We are three games into Vrabel's tenure as head coach. He wasn't going to eliminate all of the bad football from back-to-back four-win seasons in three games, and let's face it, training camp and the preseason don't produce the "live" reps they once did to eliminate these things completely in the summer.

We wouldn't be preaching patience if the high-end flashes weren't there. But there's good football being played on New England's tape. Now, it's just about eliminating the catastrophic mistakes, like turnovers, to get out of their own way. There's reason for optimism on both sides of the ball, with glimpses of good football that can lead to wins in the future, but New England must be more consistent to see results in the win-loss column.

Here is a Drake Maye and run defense breakdown, plus quick-hit film notes from the Patriots' loss to the Steelers in Week 3 after further review.

Breaking Down QB Drake Maye & the Patriots Offense vs. the Steelers

Like the entire offense, there's a macro and micro-level conversation to have with the Patriots young quarterback, who had some good and bad plays in Sunday's loss.

On a macro level, my charting still had Maye as a net-positive quarterback in this game (11 plus, 7.5 minus). The Pats QB is also scoring well in the advanced metrics: eighth in EPA per drop-back (+0.20), seventh in drop-back success rate (51.1%), fifth in completion percentage over expectation (+6.9%), and is 15th out of 32 quarterbacks in ESPN's QBR metric (57.2).

The other positive from this film is a two-game heater for OC Josh McDaniels. Admittedly, I was impatient about what we saw in Week 1. I stand by my analysis of the performance in a vacuum, but it was just the season opener with a bunch of new faces operating a new offensive system. Over the last two weeks, McDaniels has been mostly great sans a few nitpicky play-calling sequences, like three-straight passes to end the first half. The scheme has been dynamic; they're catering things to Maye, and McDaniels is scheming open receivers at an impressive rate, given that the offense hasn't yet shown a vertical threat .

Since Week 2, New England's motion rate is up to 61.8% from 17.6% in the opener. McDaniels has fully bought into outside zone/duo run sequencing to set up moving pockets for his athletic quarterback, with Maye producing 10 EPA+ plays on 11 moving pockets. The Patriots run-action rate (run+play-action) is also up to 56.3% in the last two games (35.3% in Week 1). Simply put, the offensive scheme has been terrific, and you can see where they can add even more to their base concepts.

That said, Maye had four turnover-worthy plays on Sunday: one interception, one sack-fumble, and two dropped interceptions (one negated by penalty). When you look at the whole body of work, there's plenty of high-level quarterbacking. However, the decision-making and details must be sharper for Maye to play winning football consistently. There are still too many "YOLO " moments where he's trying to do too much playmaking, he drifts into pressure once or twice a game, and even though he has all the different pitches in his arsenal, learning when to pull different levers to throw the best possible ball is a work in progress.

Although the growing pains in his 15th career start are worth discussing, I learned my lesson aboutrushing to judgment about season openers.

Steelers Won the Run Defense Chess Match Early and Late in Sunday's Loss

Another takeaway from reviewing the film was that the Patriots run defense plan faltered after a strong two-week start to the season, where the run defense ranked highly in several stats.

Entering Week 3 play, the Patriots led the NFL in run-stop win rate and were first in the league in rushing success rate allowed (26.3%). However, the Steelers had a 50 percent rushing success rate in Sunday's loss, with Pittsburgh running the ball six of their first eight plays for 33 yards on their opening touchdown drive, followed by five more 24 yards on their second TD drive. On their first two drives, the Steelers averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

The first part of the chess match that was advantage Steelers was the Patriots opening in three-corner nickel with two-high safety shells. Pittsburgh hit runs of nine and 11 yards on their opening drive into two-high safety defenses, a crack toss scheme where the Pats couldn't compress space and fill from the second level on a cutback, followed by an outside zone run where LB Christian Elliss missed a tackle in the hole on Steelers RB Jaylen Warren.

New England eventually adjusted by putting "big" nickel packages on the field, with S Kyle Dugger as the slot defender. Still, opening the game in lighter personnel with light boxes against the Steelers two-tight-end sets was an interesting decision. Pittsburgh took advantage by winning the line of scrimmage and running the ball at the Pats smaller fronts. The Patriots got the run defense under control by playing bigger packages and fewer two-high safety shells. Plus, defenders on the line of scrimmage began anticipating zone-blocking techniques by the Steelers offensive line to "backdoor" frontside blocks to produce splash plays.

However, the run defense was again leaky on Pittsburgh's game-winning drive. As mentioned, the Pats aggressively shot the inside gaps against the Steelers zone schemes to penetrate the backfield. But, on the final drive, the aggressive approach backfired. Above, edge rusher Harold Landry crosses inside the right tackle on a third-and-2 zone run. The issue was that nobody replaced Landry on the edge, so Warren made a smooth cut around Landry and hit the vacated edge to move the chains.

Although it's third-and-short, a run-stuff there likely forces the Steelers into a field goal that would've made it a three-point game. Instead, Pittsburgh took another 1:44 off the clock before scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Obviously, the Pats final possession changes significantly if they only need a field goal to tie it rather than a touchdown.

It's tough to put any of this game on the defense after holding the Steelers scoreless for two-plus quarters, while the offense turned it over five times. Still, the initial plan seemed geared toward stopping Rodgers and Pittsburgh's passing game with the two-deep safeties despite the Steelers not showing much of a deep passing attack in the first two weeks, leading to an early 14-0 deficit.

Quick-Hit Film Notes From Pats-Steelers

Offense

- LT Will Campbell struggled vs. Steelers speed-rusher Nick Herbig, who is underrated and a bad matchup for Campbell. The Pats rookie left tackle allowed six total pressures, including two on inside moves. Herbig set the rookie up by using pure speed to threaten his outside edge in the first half, then pulled out an inside move on the goal line and later caused a late fourth-quarter sack. Campbell was better in the run game, where his frontside combos on outside zone created movement and made a key block on the 4th-and-1 conversion.

- RB Rhamondre Stevenson's two fumbles are ultimately on him, but the second one was a late punch-out by DT Cameron Heyward as the second (or third) defender in. The first was LB Cole Holcomb putting his arm/hand on the ball on his tackle attempt, so that's more on Stevenson – he has to hold onto the ball there. Stevenson also got tangled up in pass protection with C Garrett Bradbury on the missed crosser to DeMario Douglas late in the fourth quarter, causing a rusher at Maye's feet, creating an off-target throw. After a great game in Miami, the ball security and details left Stevenson in a tough spot this week.

- WR DeMario Douglas is having one of the most bizarre starts to a season in recent memory. There are plays to be made on film, but Douglas is either not on the same page as the QB, gets a bad ball from Maye, or is showing poor awareness. Pop had a 17-yard gain wiped out by a penalty, a 14-yard gain reversed to an 8-yard gain, was open twice on crossers but couldn't connect with Maye, was open on a swing route that Maye short-armed, but Pop also drifted away from his quarterback on the route, and then there was the game-ending fourth-down play. There's something off about the Maye-to-Douglas connection that is preventing big plays from happening, and it's costing the Patriots in key situations.

- TE Hunter Henry was terrific, with six of his eight receptions going for either touchdowns or first downs. He had two schemed-up touchdowns, a great route/design on his 18-yard wheel from the backfield, a 15-yard explosive crosser, a nice slant route for another 9-yard gain, and multiple QB-friendly spot routes. Henry also transitioned quickly into being a blocker on Maye's 15-yard scramble to convert it into an explosive run – a good football player.

- RT Morgan Moses had 22 reps vs. Steelers star T.J. Watt, allowing a sack and a hurry due to playing with a short corner against Watt's speed/dip/rip rushes. Moses also created good vertical movement on his double teams and has been moving bodies with TE Austin Hooper on duo. Overall, you'll take Moses mostly keeping Watt in check on 47 drop-backs.

- C Garrett Bradbury ended up on the ground a few too many times for my liking, but his "whirly bird" block on Henry's 15-yard crosser was the best block any Patriot has put on film this season. Heck, maybe in the last two seasons. Assigning pressures to Bradbury was tough because he got tripped up, and it was debatable whether he could've done anything to avoid the inadvertent contact. Still, it left rushers at Maye's feet, which impacted the pass.

- LG Jared Wilson allowed three hurries in this game, but I had no major gripes with his film. Steelers DT Cam Heyward is a beast, and Wilson had 19 one-on-one reps against the seven-time Pro Bowler. Wilson has also improved significantly against stunt schemes, seeing the post-snap movement much more clearly, and had a great recovery to keep Maye clean on one stunt. The week-to-week improvement from Wilson has been good to see.

- RG Mike Onwenu allowed only one hurry in pass protection and generated some movement on his double teams. He also saved Bradbury on a blown block by looking for work vs. a schemed pressure. However, Onwenu also had blown blocks on both of Stevenson's fumbles, including a goal-line block, which has been hit or miss for him this season. Plus, the illegal man downfield penalty was a costly error (wiped out a 17-yard completion).

- WR Stefon Diggs ran a nice 11-yard slant and moved the chains with a whip route on third down. Vrabel also highlighted him taking coaching on Stevenson's 23-yard pick play, a play they ran last week in Miami, where Diggs missed the pick. WR Kayshon Boutte ran two good routes on an 8-yard out (ran off the corner) and a 20-yard dig where he made a tough catch in a high-traffic area. Overall, the Pats wideouts aren't producing at a high level stats-wise, but these two are making plays when the ball comes their way (5-of-6, 51 yards, three first downs).

- WR Mack Hollins also tried to "banana" around a defender similar to Douglas's fourth down play rather than splitting the two defenders as Vrabel explained. However, he made a key "crack" block on Maye's 4th-and-1 boot scramble that saved the play, which is why he's on the field, and was open on a deep crosser for a possible touchdown, but Maye stayed on his first read to Henry (18-yard wheel route).

- Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson allowed one hurry in blitz pickup on a Patrick Queen interior twist off play-action, a tough NFL-caliber assignment for the rook. He did have a better rep in pass pro later in the game on a Maye scramble, which looked more like his college film. However, the game seems to be moving a bit fast for Henderson right now, who also needs to tempo his runs better and see cutback lanes developing more clearly. He's running into crowds rather than trying to use his speed to find daylight – very common for a young back.

- QB Pressures: Campbell (6), Wilson (3), Moses (sack, hurry), Bradbury (2), Henderson (hurry), Onwenu (hurry).

Defense

- The Patriots made two notable personnel changes. First, CB Alex Austin was replaced by Charles Woods in the second quarter after Austin was called for two penalties, including a third-down hold that wiped out a Milton Williams sack. The other was LB Jack Gibbens replacing Christian Elliss in the second half after a pair of missed tackles by Elliss. Austin and Elliss are two projected contributors off to underwhelming starts.

- LB Robert Spillane had some better moments with an interception, three run stuffs, and zero missed tackles (technically). He also tackled Steelers RB Jaylen Warren on a swing route that only gained five yards, showing better technique to bring down a running back 1-on-1 in space. However, Spillane lost containment when Warren cut back into the middle of the field on a 15-yard dumpoff. That was a huge play on Pittsburgh's game-winning drive that Rodgers highlighted in his post-game presser.

- CB Carlton Davis lined up across from Steelers WR DK Metcalf on 18 routes, allowing a 12-yard touchdown (go route) while he was also called for an iffy 18-yard DPI. Davis had good coverage on Metcalf for most of the afternoon, but like his teammate on the other side, the touchdown was a decisive win for Metcalf in a key spot.

- CB Marcus Jones lined up across from Steelers WR Calvin Austin on 11 routes. He was beaten on Austin's game-winning touchdown (17-yard go route) and gave up an 8-yard slant as a drive-starter on Pittsburgh's final possession. Austin's average separation was only 1.1 yards on his two catches vs. Jones, but that was enough to make two critical plays.

- DT Milton Williams had a stunt sack negated by penalty, two run stuffs, and some good work splitting double teams. However, Williams missed a possible run TFL in the backfield on a third-and-1. Overall, Williams has a playmaking gear that is fun to watch. He's a game-wrecker who is starting to get extra attention with a team-high 10 double-teams on Sunday.

- NT Khyiris Tonga played more after PIT ran the ball well on their opening drive, and his uptick in playing time should continue. Tonga caused two run stuffs with his penetration, had a bull rush pressure, and drew a hold by getting Steelers C Zach Frazier on skates by pressing his block. Tonga has excellent playing strength and impressive get-off for a 335-pound DT. If his motor can hold up, I'd like to see him play more.

- EDGE Harold Landry diagnosed a Rodgers check-down for a tackle for loss in coverage, logged a pressure with a spin move, forced an off-target throw with a speed/dip pressure on third down, and showed great hustle to clean up a slide route to TE Jonnu Smith, forcing a fumble. Overall, the arrow is pointing upward on Landry. He makes a handful of plays every week.

- EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson jumped offside and was called for a hold for grabbing a blocker on an inside zone run. That said, he also made disruptive plays by backdooring an outside zone run for a TFL, using a rip move to pressure Rodgers on his interception and using a speed-to-power rush for a second pressure. Chaisson needs to get the penalties under control, though, as that's four flags in the last two games.

- DT Christian Barmore logged a pressure on an interior twist that led to a third-down stop and ran an effective run stunt with Chaisson for a stuff. However, he saw fewer double-teams in the pass rush (three) and was getting moved on double teams in the run game during the Patriots slow start, leading to more snaps for Tonga next to Williams. There's another level for Barmore. He just has to reach it once he gets back into the flow.

- LB Jack Gibbens was on the scene for three positive runs on PIT's game-winning drive. Gibbens was shooting gaps on run blitzes, inviting cutbacks or vacating gaps altogether, and was the nearest defender on a 10-yard screen to RB Kenneth Gainwell. I won't pretend to know their assignments on more exotic run fits, but it didn't look right to me.

- Pats safeties Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson weren't tested much in deep coverage, with Rodgers attacking single-high safety structures on the two go route TDs. The Pats safety duo each had some good reps as robber help in cover-one schemes, but there wasn't much action going their way on Sunday.

- S Kyle Dugger has found a role as a big nickel defender in the Patriots three-safety packages. Dugger had a nice run stuff setting the edge and got leverage on a slide route by TE Jonnu Smith that allowed for a Landry stop/forced fumble. Dugger was solid in his 17 snaps.

- LB Marte Mapu had two man-coverage reps vs. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth, and had solid coverage on both plays, including a third-down incompletion where Mapu was in good position. Mapu could've squeezed a 21-yard skinny post to Jonnu Smith a bit better, but it appeared to be quarters coverage with Hawkins in the seam.

- DT Joshua Farmer backdoored a zone-lead scheme for a run TFL and had some good reps against double teams. The rookie might be earning more playing time.

- CB Charles Woods only played eight coverage snaps after replacing Austin. Woods gave up a nine-yard completion and missed a tackle in his limited reps.

- QB Pressures: Chaisson (2), Landry (2), Tonga (1), Barmore (1). Run stops: Spillane (3), Williams (2), one each (Farmer, Dugger, Elliss, Chaisson, Gibbens).

Coverage: Davis (5/3/32 yards/TD/DPI), Spillane (5/4/30 yards/INT), Jones (2/2/25 yards/TD), Hawkins (1/1/21 yards), Gibbens (1/1/10 yards), Woods (2/1/9 yards), Woodson (3/2/8 yards), Dugger (2/2/4 yards), Austin (DPI/hold).

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