The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a defining moment early in the 2025 season.
After two straight weeks of uneven play, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, Mike Tomlin’s squad enters Week 3 eager to reestablish its identity as a physical, hard-nosed football team.
Their opponent? The resurgent New England Patriots, led by sophomore quarterback Drake Maye, who is off to a scorching start to the new campaign.
Through two weeks, Maye has thrown for 517 yards, three touchdowns, and posted an eye-popping 71% completion percentage — a sizable leap from the 66.6% he managed as a rookie. The early signs suggest Maye is becoming the efficient, franchise-caliber quarterback New England hoped for when they selected him high in the draft.
Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have found new life in the AFC, and Maye’s rapid development is at the center of it.
But while Maye is trending upward, the Steelers see Week 3 as a chance to slow his momentum and regain control of their season. Defensive lapses have plagued Pittsburgh in the early going, a trend Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin know cannot continue.
The once-feared unit has shown uncharacteristic cracks, struggling with missed tackles, blown coverages, and a lack of consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
If those issues linger, Maye and top wideout Stefon Diggs could spell trouble.
Diggs, acquired to give Maye a legitimate No. 1 target, has already become the focal point of New England’s passing attack. His precise route-running and ability to stretch the field provide Maye with a security blanket — and a dangerous weapon against defenses that fail to adjust. For Pittsburgh, limiting Diggs’ impact will be just as critical as rattling Maye in the pocket.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense must expose Drake Maye to regain confidence in Week 3
The blueprint for success, however, remains clear: dominate the line of scrimmage and unleash the pass rush. Last season, Maye was sacked 34 times, ranking 13th-most in the league. While he has shown improved poise and pocket awareness this year, the Steelers’ front seven has the personnel to test his composure.
T.J. Watt remains one of the NFL’s most disruptive forces, Cameron Heyward continues to anchor the interior, and rookie Jack Sawyer has flashed early signs of promise. Together, they represent the antidote Pittsburgh must lean on to disrupt New England’s rhythm.
Younger quarterbacks, no matter how talented, are still prone to mistakes under pressure. Maye’s confidence is growing, but he has yet to face a defense that can consistently collapse the pocket and punish every hesitation. If the Steelers force him into hurried throws and uncomfortable situations, those rookie-year tendencies of locking onto receivers or holding the ball too long could resurface.
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For Pittsburgh, this game is more than just a matchup against an emerging star.
It is an opportunity to send a message — to themselves and to the league — that the black-and-gold brand of physical, suffocating defense is alive and well. A win would reset the tone for the season and give the Steelers momentum heading into a grueling AFC slate. A loss, on the other hand, would only deepen the questions surrounding a team searching for consistency.
Drake Maye may be on the rise, but the Steelers have the perfect chance to remind him — and everyone else — that development in the NFL is never linear, especially when facing a defense determined to reclaim its dominance.
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