Wk 2 · 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots — Sun, Sep 20
Sun, Sep 20 ·
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
· CBS FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
1:00pET
NE -4.5 · total 41.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential NE by 7.5
What is at stake
An AFC game between two divisions. It decides neither division, but conference record is the tiebreaker that follows head-to-head, and both of these are chasing the same 7 AFC playoff places. Division standings.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Steelers form
W 34-22vs INDL 24-27at CLEW 30-27vs CINL 3-20at NEW 20-13vs ATL
2026 season
Patriots form
W 45-17vs LVW 29-26at BUFL 6-35at JAXW 20-3vs PITL 10-13at SEA
2026 season
Steelers this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Patriots this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread3-1-1 · 75% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 2
| Opponent | Steelers | Patriots |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos AFC | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 17 · scheduled preview |
| Jaguars AFC | at Wk 14 · scheduled preview | at L 6-35 preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Patriots leads 11–4 · Patriots won the last one
15 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
7.1 points toward Patriots
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-20 | Steelers 3 — 20 Patriots | at NE | Patriots |
| 2025 | 2025-09-21 | Steelers 21 — 14 Patriots | at NE | Steelers |
| 2023 | 2023-12-07 | Patriots 21 — 18 Steelers | at PIT | Patriots |
| 2022 | 2022-09-18 | Patriots 17 — 14 Steelers | at PIT | Patriots |
| 2019 | 2019-09-08 | Steelers 3 — 33 Patriots | at NE | Patriots |
| 2018 | 2018-12-16 | Patriots 10 — 17 Steelers | at PIT | Steelers |
| 2017 | 2017-12-17 | Patriots 27 — 24 Steelers | at PIT | Patriots |
| 2016 | 2017-01-22 | Steelers 17 — 36 Patriots | at NE | Patriots playoffs |
| 2016 | 2016-10-23 | Patriots 27 — 16 Steelers | at PIT | Patriots |
| 2015 | 2015-09-10 | Steelers 21 — 28 Patriots | at NE | Patriots |
| 2013 | 2013-11-03 | Steelers 31 — 55 Patriots | at NE | Patriots |
| 2011 | 2011-10-30 | Patriots 17 — 25 Steelers | at PIT | Steelers |
| 2010 | 2010-11-14 | Patriots 39 — 26 Steelers | at PIT | Patriots |
| 2008 | 2008-11-30 | Steelers 33 — 10 Patriots | at NE | Steelers |
| 2007 | 2007-12-09 | Steelers 13 — 34 Patriots | at NE | Patriots |
Steelers leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Aaron Rodgers QB #8 | 88/153, 999 YDS, 7 TD, 4 INT |
| Cameron Johnston P #19 | 0/1, 0 YDS | |
| Rushing | Jaylen Warren RB #30 | 55 CAR, 309 YDS |
| Rico Dowdle RB #13 | 15 CAR, 37 YDS | |
| Travis Homer RB #21 | 5 CAR, 15 YDS | |
| Receiving | DK Metcalf WR #4 | 16 REC, 213 YDS, 1 TD |
| Roman Wilson WR #14 | 14 REC, 188 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jaylen Warren RB #30 | 13 REC, 143 YDS | |
| Pat Freiermuth TE #88 | 14 REC, 125 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Payton Wilson LB #41 | 36 |
| Patrick Queen LB #6 | 28 | |
| Jaquan Brisker S #3 | 27 | |
| Sacks | T.J. Watt LB #90 | 4.5 |
| Alex Highsmith LB #56 | 3 | |
| Derrick Harmon DT #99 | 1.5 | |
| Interceptions | T.J. Watt LB #90 | 1 |
| Patrick Queen LB #6 | 1 | |
| Jaquan Brisker S #3 | 1 |
Patriots leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Drake Maye QB #10 | 73/117, 854 YDS, 4 TD, 7 INT |
| Tommy DeVito QB #16 | 3/5, 30 YDS | |
| Rushing | Rhamondre Stevenson RB #38 | 44 CAR, 163 YDS, 1 TD |
| TreVeyon Henderson RB #32 | 38 CAR, 141 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Drake Maye QB #10 | 23 CAR, 136 YDS | |
| Receiving | Mack Hollins WR #13 | 15 REC, 209 YDS |
| Romeo Doubs WR #87 | 12 REC, 203 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Hunter Henry TE #85 | 12 REC, 133 YDS | |
| Rhamondre Stevenson RB #38 | 12 REC, 90 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Robert Spillane LB #14 | 29 |
| Christian Elliss LB #53 | 25 | |
| Charles Woods CB #22 | 18 | |
| Sacks | Elijah Ponder LB #91 | 2.5 |
| Gabe Jacas LB #50 | 1.5 | |
| Dre'Mont Jones DE #5 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Marcus Jones CB #25 | 1 |
| Craig Woodson S #4 | 1 | |
| Gabe Jacas LB #50 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.