One Area Where Patriots Must Improve Against Steelers
The New England Patriots are coming off their first win of the 2025 season over the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots have historically struggled in Miami and scored 30 points for the first time in a long time. Both of which are signs of good things to come.
At the same time, the win wasn’t without flaws. The offense was excellent. Drake Maye showed great poise against pressure, and Rhamondre Stevenson was effective in both the passing and run game. The defense defended the run well, limiting De’Von Achane to just 2.7 yards per attempt.
The team allowed 27 points against a Dolphins’ offense that had serious issues in the season opener, though. While they couldn’t move the ball on the ground, they found success through the air, particularly in the quick passing game.
It wasn’t just against the Dolphins, either. Through two weeks of the season, when opponents get rid of the ball in under 2.5 seconds, they’re 24 of 27 against the Patriots. New England is 28th in the league in average separation allowed on these plays. That’s in part due to offenses using pre-snap motion. Both the Dolphins and the Raiders ran receivers across the field before snaps on several occasions, creating cushions for easy completions.
On top of that, the Patriots have not tackled. They’re 29th in football in yards allowed after the catch. That is in part due to the separation allowed on quick passes, but tackling in the open field has been an issue as well.
The Patriots’ next opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has used quick passes effectively. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 23 of 29 for 174 yards and three touchdowns when releasing the ball in under 2.5 seconds.
The Steelers have created those opportunities slightly differently than the Raiders and the Dolphins, though. Rather than running receivers across the formation before the snap, they’ve used more designed wide receiver screens. Rodgers has also hit running back Jaylen Warren out of the backfield several times against soft coverages.
While it may look different, tackling will still be at the forefront of the Patriots’ week three matchup. In order to get off the field, New England will have to do a better job wrapping up in space and limiting yards after the catch. The pass rush has been great, pressuring quarterbacks at a high rate. The counter to that is getting the ball out quickly. Rodgers and the Steelers will know this and will look for quick hits on Sunday.