Patriots handle Steelers with relative ease, win 20-3

The Patriots didn't need a spectacular performance from Drake Maye to get back in the win column.

New England dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, cruising to a 20-3 victory behind a defense that made life miserable for Aaron Rodgers and an offense that did enough on the ground to control the game.

Rodgers and the Steelers' offense simply couldn't get anything going. The veteran quarterback finished 23-of-39 for 187 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He also lost a fumble that Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder recovered and returned for a touchdown, putting another nail in the coffin of an already ugly afternoon for Pittsburgh.

It was exactly the type of defensive performance the Patriots needed after giving up 13 points in last week's season opener against Seattle.

Drake Maye wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. Maye completed 14 of 22 passes for 208 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Instead, the Patriots leaned on their running game to keep the Steelers' defense on its heels and control the clock.

TreVeyon Henderson led the way with 76 rushing yards, while Rhamondre Stevenson added another 43 yards on the ground.

The Patriots also had to deal with the loss of right guard Mike Onwenu to a right ankle injury, which could be a significant concern moving forward after Onwenu was ruled out during the game.

Still, New England continued to play complementary football. The defense kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard for virtually the entire afternoon, the running game consistently moved the chains, and the Patriots avoided needing Maye to carry the offense.

After starting the season 0-1, the Patriots are now 1-1 through two weeks. There are certainly things to clean up, particularly offensively, but this was a much more convincing performance than what we saw in Seattle.

The Patriots will have plenty to work on, but they leave Week 2 with a win, a dominant defensive showing and some momentum heading into the next stretch of the season.