6 immediate takeaways from Steelers embarrassing loss vs Patriots

It's one thing to lose to the defending AFC Champions on their home field, but the performance that the Pittsburgh Steelers just put up against the New England Patriots was downright embarrassing in almost every way possible. The 20-3 loss was just as ugly as it looked on the scoreboard, with the Steelers never really threatening to do much of anything offensively.

The offense had its struggles against the Falcons in Week 1, but some of their issues could be explained by bad luck and a few key mistakes. Against New England, however, they were clearly outmatched right from the start.

Not everything was a disaster, as the defense once again had its moments as they tried desperately to give the offense a chance to come back. It was all for naught, unfortunately, but here are the biggest takeaways from the crushing loss.

Pittsburgh Steelers have few positives to takeaway from frustrating loss to Patriots

Steelers offense somehow regressed from their Week 1 struggles

It felt impossible, but the Steelers managed to play an even worse game offensively in Week 2 against the Patriots than they did vs the Falcons. 13 points and 264 total yards shouldn't have felt like an impossible bar to clear, but Pittsburgh managed just three points and 235 yards.

Aaron Rodgers was awful (we will get to him more later), but his playmakers didn't do much to help him either. DK Metcalf was completely locked down, and outside of one impressive drive from Germie Bernard, the receivers as a whole struggled all day. The run game was at least a little better than last week, but it wasn't enough to keep the offense on schedule.

I didn't even get to the offensive line, speaking of...

The offensive line is officially a major problem

This group was supposed to be the one that made the offense go in 2026, and they have been arguably the biggest issue for the team as a whole. Poor pass protection, difficulty picking up stunts, free rushers left to crush Rodgers, no push in the running game, etc. You name it, and the Steelers offensive line has struggled with it.

Spencer Anderson, in particular, struggled mightily in this game. He allowed multiple quick pressures, including this one that led to a scoop-and-score by Patriots edge rusher Elijah Ponder.

It may be time for some shuffling, including giving Brock Hoffman the job at right guard and seeing if first-round rookie Max Iheanachor can give them more juice up front over Dylan Cook.

The DK Metcalf trade is reaching fireable offense levels of bad

For all of the good that general manager Omar Khan has done since taking over for Kevin Colbert, the decision to trade a second-round pick for Metcalf and hand him a massive four-year, $132 million contract is indefensible at this point. After struggling mightily in Week 1, the Steelers' supposed No. 1 receiver was even worse against New England.

He managed just 27 yards on four receptions, as he was completely locked down by Christian Gonzalez from start to finish. It would be one thing if he simply got outclassed by the NFL's highest-paid corner, but he dropped multiple passes that were right in his hands, on top of struggling to separate. It may be time to funnel targets away from their highest-paid offensive player.

Aside from a few big plays, the defense looked improved once again

The defense was not faultless in this loss, but given the circumstances, they played well against New England. T.J. Watt wasn't as dominant as last week, but he and the rest of the defense were disruptive again, with three sacks and two turnovers forced.

Patrick Queen came away with his first interception as a Steeler, and Nick Herbig punched a ball out of Patriots running back Rhamondre Stephenson's hands early in the game. They did give up a 39-yard touchdown run to TreVeyon Henderson, as well as a few other big plays like this one to Romeo Doubs, but the defense did its best to keep Pittsburgh in the game. It unfortunately wasn't enough.

Aaron Rodgers reverted back to his old ways

Despite all of the struggles that the offense suffered against Atlanta in Week 1, one positive sign from Aaron Rodgers and the passing game was his willingness to hold onto the ball and push it down the field. He ended up with a 10.1 average depth of target, tied for his best mark from last season.

Against New England, that all went out the window. Rodgers managed just 187 yards on 39 passing attempts, and his ADOT was a measly 5.1, according to Pro Football Focus($). Metcalf being bottled up all day by Gonzalez didn't help, but the lack of aggressiveness doomed any chance of creating explosives for the offense.

Germie Bernard needs to remain a part of the offense

As bad as the Steelers offense was in this game, there was one bright spot that will hopefully just be the start of a long and productive career in Pittsburgh. Second-round rookie receiver Germie Bernard flashed in his first real opportunity on offense, finishing with four receptions for 35 yards on eight targets.

Those 35 yards were (unfortunately) enough to lead the team this week, and only Metcalf (nine) earned more targets. He did have a rough drop at the end of the game that led to an interception, but I am willing to forgive a rookie playing in his second game for making a mistake. Even when Michael Pittman Jr. gets back healthy, Bernard needs to stay involved in the passing game.

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