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.

Although we're only two games into his second season, Maye is seeing zone coverage on 83.3% of his drop-backs, the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. Some of that is due to matchups, like facing the Seattle/Vegas-3 zone system in the opener, but it could also be about Maye's skillset. The Pats young quarterback is a dynamic runner with great off-script playmaking ability, so having eyes on him in zone coverage to make Maye beat the defense from the pocket makes sense. In Week 1, the Raiders limited Maye by playing zone, but the Patriots successfully attacked Miami's zones with moving pockets and designed shot plays.

This week, the Patriots will face a Steelers defense that plays man coverage at the sixth-highest rate in the NFL (41%). Pats fans probably remember Pittsburgh being a zone defense, particularly from their "Blitzburgh" days when they ran fire zones under longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. As he did against many defenses, former Patriots QB Tom Brady used to shred Pittsburgh's zone coverages, with his favorite seam routes feasting on cover three, so Steelers DC Teryl Austin and head coach Mike Tomlin pivoted to playing more man coverage recently, while blitzing from man coverages at the second-highest rate (29.5%).

However, the issue for the Steelers early in the season is that they're struggling in man coverage. Pittsburgh is right in front of the Patriots in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed (10.2) and is 27th in expected points added per man coverage drop-back (+0.23). The Steelers also give up 20-plus yard pass plays at the highest rate in the league (24.1%). On paper, this should be a stingy Steelers defense featuring five Pro Bowlers: T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Patrick Queen, as well as underrated edge rusher Alex Highsmith. But, for whatever reason, Pittsburgh's defense is struggling out of the gate.

In the first two weeks, Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak and Jets coordinator Tanner Engstrand gave the Patriots a blueprint for attacking the Steelers defense. After giving off West Coast vibes in Week 2, taking ideas from Kubiak, a Kyle Shanahan disciple, makes a lot of sense. Kubiak got the Seahawks offense rolling by hitting similar notes in the run game as McDaniels last week: outside zone, duo, and fullback lead. Seattle RB Kenneth Walker averaged 8.1 yards per rush attempt with four runs over 10-plus yards, which set up QB Sam Darnold to average 13.7 yards per pass attempt off play-action concepts. As others have noted, running the ball away from Watt, who typically aligns on the right side of the defense, has produced six yards per carry in the first two games.

The Seahawks used the Steelers' aggressiveness against them by moving the pocket on their 10 play-action drop-backs, something the Patriots did more of last week for Maye. Typically, Seattle rolled Darnold out to his non-arm side away from the run strength (opposite the tight end), using slide routes and crossers to scheme open receivers for chunk gains.

Then, against man coverage, the Jets and Seahawks attacked the Steelers single-high safety shells with slants, deep crossers and eventually Seattle hit a backbreaker on a deep post to JSN. For example, both the Jets and Seahawks hit explosive touchdowns on the "Yankee" concept vs. post-safety coverage. The Yankee concept pairs a deep post with an over route (crosser) to put the post-safety in conflict. The deep safety can only help one of the man coverage corners, so the quarterback throws at the receiver being single-covered. The Steelers hit a 21-yard touchdown, and the Jets hit a 33-yard touchdown on this same concept.

If the Steelers continue to play man coverage, New York and Seattle gave the Patriots a blueprint to run away from man-to-man with routes breaking into the middle of the field. Pittsburgh could also take a page out of Vegas's playbook and play more zone vs. Maye, which is when New England's under-center run+boot-action sequencing comes into play.

Eventually, one would expect that the Steelers defense will recover from a shaky start. Last season, Pittsburgh was seventh in DVOA on defense, but it ranks 27th in the efficiency metric through two weeks. Hopefully, their bounce-back game doesn't happen on Sunday.

Pats Defense vs. Steelers Offense: Rodgers Still Can Sling It, But Vulnerabilities Exist

Moving over to the other side of the ball, 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers is now piloting the Steelers offense in the future Hall of Famer's 21st NFL season after a failed stint with the Jets.

Rodgers is working with a familiar face to head coach Mike Vrabel, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was Vrabel's offensive coordinator for two seasons in Tennessee before becoming the Falcons head coach. Smith runs a West Coast offense that features all the same staple plays we've discussed ad nauseam here with the Patriots and Seahawks (outside zone, boots, etc.). Plus, Smith also loves 12-personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR). Two of Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and blocking TE Darnell Washington on 50.4% of the Steelers snaps (second-highest in the NFL).

You must be ready for the under-center sequencing, a big part of the Steelers Week 1 victory. In fact, Rodgers threw three of his four touchdowns from moving pockets, including hitting the same bootleg concept two different ways for touchdowns. Even at 41 years old, Rodgers can still sling it. The Steelers quarterback has plenty of power left in his arm, driving throws between the numbers and dropping deep-ball dimes from wonky platforms in vintage Rodgers fashion.

That said, Rodgers prefers being in the shotgun, where he can quickly decipher coverage and pick on matchups. As a result, Pittsburgh has been in shotgun on 77.9% of their offensive plays. The veteran QB also doesn't move as well as he once did. In particular, the four-time MVP's sack avoidance and ability to scramble for first downs is limited. Rodgers currently has the fifth-highest pressure-to-sack rate (30.4%) among qualified quarterbacks and is getting caught in the open field when scrambling. He's also learning a new group of receivers, so the kryptonite so far for Pittsburgh's offense is man coverage.

Although man coverage is the formula, we have already explained New England's issues in man coverage without Gonzalez. So, it'll be interesting to see if the Patriots get their star corner back or hold up in man coverage without their All-Pro defender. Ultimately, Rodgers can't be taken lightly because he can still drop dimes, but his athleticism is declining. The Patriots need to get him to hold the ball and force Rodgers to play under pressure.

Key Matchups

RT Morgan Moses vs. Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt

For the second time out of three games, the opponent's top pass-rusher typically rushes over the right tackle. Watt terrorizes offensive lines with his relentless motor, first-step explosiveness, and a great bag of tricks and insects to make plays in the backfield. Moses, who is playing through a foot injury, might need extra help on his side at less than 100%.

LT Will Campbell vs. Steelers EDGE Nick Herbig (or Alex Highsmith)

The Patriots might avoid facing Alex Highsmith as the veteran edge rusher is dealing with a high-ankle sprain that will likely cause him to miss Sunday's game. That said, Herbig is a twitched-up rusher who wins at a similar rate as Watt, logging an 11.1% win rate on his 28 rushes this season (Watt - 11.4%). Herbig's pure speed will test Campbell's ability to protect his edge and recover to inside moves. This will be a good matchup to see where Campbell is at in that regard.

LG Jared Wilson vs. Steelers DT Cameron Heyward

After pitching a shutout in pass protection last week, Wilson will have his hands full with Heyward, who likes to play the B-Gaps as a 3-4 defensive end. Heyward is a powerful, instinctive rusher who blew up several Seahawks plays in Week 2, including tipping a pass in the air that led to an interception. Heyward is one of my favorite players to watch. He's a problem and a tough matchup for a rookie due to his veteran savvy.

CB Carlton Davis vs. Steelers WR DK Metcalf

Whether the Patriots have Gonzalez or not, Davis matches up well with Metcalf as two physical players on the outside. Metcalf has seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown this season, so not crazy numbers, but we know his vertical speed and ability to win the ball at the catch point make him dangerous. The Pats need to win this good-on-good matchup.

Pats Linebackers vs. Steelers RB Jaylen Warren

If the Patriots play man coverage, one mismatch the Steelers could present is Warren catching passes a la De'Von Achane out of the backfield. Warren is a different type of back, but he's a safety blanket for Rodgers, who hit Warren for a 65-yard reception on a dump-off late in the down last week. Warren is a reliable underneath target and is extremely difficult to bring down due to his bowling ball style.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer