Sept. 20, 2026, 4:51 p.m. ET The New England Patriots put handcuffs on legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense for a much-needed Week 2 victory on Sunday. Much of the talk was about the inability of the Patriots’ defense to cash in with takeaways in last week’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, the unit clearly took that criticism to heart and forced two turnovers on Rodgers in the Week 2 matchup. One of the turnovers came on a scoop-and-score touchdown by edge rusher Elijah Ponder, following a strip-sack fumble caused by Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The other came after cornerback Charles Woods made contact with a Steelers receiver and forced a pop-up interception to rookie edge defender Gabe Jacas. Things were still rocky for the Patriots on offense with quarterback Drake Maye throwing his fourth interception of the season. It’s clear that the unit is still working to get in sync with multiple new additions, including wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who led the team with three catches for 96 yards. Here’s how social media reacted to the Patriots’ first regular season victory: Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Read More