Wrapping up the Pittsburgh Steelers

The New England Patriots got themselves back on track Sunday afternoon, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 at Gillette Stadium to move to 1-1 on the season.

After blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Seattle 11 days ago, the Patriots needed a response in their home opener. They got one, although the victory came with some significant concerns of its own.

New England entered the game without star wide receiver A.J. Brown and starting cornerback Carlton Davis III, then lost several more players to injury throughout the afternoon. Right guard Mike Onwenu suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter, while Eli Raridon, Dre'Mont Jones, Dell Pettus and Craig Woodson also left the game with injuries.

The growing injury list will be one of the biggest storylines heading into Week 3, but for now, the Patriots can take plenty of positives from a convincing defensive performance.

Defense Continues to Set the Tone

For the second straight week, the Patriots defense was the team's biggest strength.

New England held Pittsburgh to just three points and 3.5 yards per play, while constantly making life difficult for 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers was pressured 17 times and sacked four times. The Patriots continued to show their willingness to blitz, generating a 47.7 percent pressure rate when sending extra rushers.

More importantly, the four-man rush showed signs of improvement.

Christian Barmore delivered one of the plays of the game in the fourth quarter, beating Steelers guard Spencer Anderson before punching the ball out of Rodgers' hands. Elijah Ponder scooped up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 20-3 lead and effectively putting the game away.

It was Ponder's first NFL touchdown.

The Patriots have leaned heavily on their blitz package through the first two weeks, but Sunday's performance suggested the defensive line can also generate pressure without needing to bring extra defenders.

"We have to affect the quarterback each and every week," Mike Vrabel said after the game. "That's the formula."

It certainly was against Pittsburgh.

Christian Gonzalez Wins the DK Metcalf Battle

Another major positive was the performance of Christian Gonzalez.

With Carlton Davis unavailable, Gonzalez had the difficult assignment of covering Steelers star receiver DK Metcalf. He handled it extremely well.

Metcalf finished with just two catches for eight yards on seven targets, with Gonzalez also recording a pass breakup. Metcalf had two drops, but Gonzalez consistently made life difficult for Pittsburgh's top receiver.

The Patriots were also able to get solid performances from their other defensive backs despite missing Davis.

Charles Woods stepped into a larger role, while Marcus Jones handled the slot. Collectively, the secondary helped keep Rodgers and the Steelers offense under control all afternoon.

TreVeyon Henderson Provides a Much-Needed Spark

The Patriots running game looked considerably better than it did in Seattle.

TreVeyon Henderson returned to the lineup and immediately provided the type of explosive play New England was missing in Week 1.

The second-year running back carried the ball 16 times for 76 yards and scored on a 39-yard touchdown run.

Rhamondre Stevenson also ripped off a 24-yard run, giving the Patriots two explosive rushing plays that helped open up the offense.

After ranking last in the NFL in rush EPA in Week 1, the Patriots showed real improvement on the ground.

That's important because defenses are likely going to continue using two-high safety looks to limit Drake Maye's downfield opportunities. If New England can consistently run the ball and create explosive plays on the ground, it makes the entire offense more difficult to defend.

Henderson's touchdown was exactly the type of play the Patriots need more of.

Drake Maye and the Offense Still Have Work to Do

The Patriots won by 17 points, but the offense only scored 13 points of its own.

That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about where this unit currently stands.

There were encouraging signs. Maye finished 14-of-22 for 208 yards and connected with Romeo Doubs for a 63-yard gain. He also hit Doubs for a 29-yard reception, giving the Patriots several explosive passing plays that were missing against Seattle.

But the negative plays remain a problem.

Maye threw another interception and took three sacks, while Stevenson also fumbled in Steelers territory. Those mistakes prevented New England from turning several promising drives into touchdowns.

Maye acknowledged afterward that the offense still isn't where it needs to be.

"It's nice seeing that," Maye said of the explosive plays. "At the same time, we cannot follow up those plays with negative ones."

That's probably the biggest takeaway from the offensive performance.

The big plays are there. The Patriots just need to stop giving those gains back with sacks, turnovers and stalled drives.

Romeo Doubs Steps Up Without A.J. Brown

With A.J. Brown sidelined, the Patriots needed someone to step up at wide receiver.

Romeo Doubs answered the call.

After failing to record a catch in Seattle, Doubs bounced back with three receptions for 96 yards, including the 63-yard gain that helped spark the passing game.

It wasn't a perfect performance, but it was an encouraging response from a receiver who will likely be asked to take on a larger role while Brown is out.

Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas also remained heavily involved as the Patriots adjusted to life without their top receiver.

Offensive Line Takes Another Hit

The biggest concern coming out of Sunday's victory may be the offensive line.

Mike Onwenu's ankle injury could force the Patriots into another major reshuffle up front. Veteran Greg Van Roten replaced him at right guard and will likely be a player to watch closely heading into Jacksonville.

The Patriots already have several moving pieces along the offensive line, and interior pass protection remains a work in progress.

T.J. Watt recorded two sacks Sunday, while the Steelers generated pressure through several interior stunts and twists.

There were positives, though. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell continued to play well, allowing only one pressure against Alex Highsmith.

Still, losing Onwenu is a significant blow, particularly with the Patriots heading into a road matchup against Jacksonville next week.

A Win the Patriots Needed

This wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch.

The Patriots left points on the field, turned the ball over twice and suffered a number of injuries. Andy Borregales also missed a 47-yard field goal before bouncing back with a 45-yarder.

But after the disappointment in Seattle, getting a win was important.

The Patriots are now 1-1 instead of 0-2, and the defense has shown through two weeks that it can keep them in football games.

The next step is getting the offense to consistently complement it.

Drake Maye needs to cut down on the negative plays. The offensive line needs to adjust to another injury. The running game needs to continue building on Sunday's performance, and the Patriots need to find ways to generate points when they get into the red zone.

For now, though, the Patriots can enjoy their first win of the season.

The attention now turns to the injury report and a difficult road trip to Jacksonville in Week 3.

The Patriots are 1-1.

There is plenty to clean up, but after the way Week 1 ended, that's a much better place to be heading into the next week.