Aaron Rodgers passed Brett Favre on the NFL’s all-time touchdown passes list with a first-half score, then added another TD toss late as the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New England Patriots, 21-14, on Sunday.
Rodgers tossed his 509th career touchdown pass early in the second quarter on a 12-yard connection with DK Metcalf. That moved Rodgers past Favre and alone into fourth place, behind only Tom Brady (649), Drew Brees (571) and Peyton Manning (539).
The veteran quarterback, who threw 475 of his TD passes in 17 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, finished the day 16-for-23 for 139 yards as Pittsburgh improved to 2-1.
Drake Maye passed for 269 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots (1-2), but he was also sacked five times and threw an interception as New England hurt itself by committing five turnovers.
The Patriots’ fumbling problem
The Patriots drafted TreVeyon Henderson in the second round, to give them the explosiveness that they’ve lacked, but also some stability. That’s because Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled five times last season, the most of any non-quarterback in the NFL. They professed faith in Stevenson and insisted the fumble woes were behind him. Plus, Henderson struggled in pass protection last week against the Dolphins, so he entered the game third on the team’s running back depth chart.
But on Sunday, Stevenson fumbled on his second carry, and the possession change led to a Steelers touchdown. Then in the third quarter, the Patriots were on the doorstep of a tied game when Stevenson fumbled on his way into the end zone.
In turn, the Pats switched to Antonio Gibson for the next drive … only for Gibson to fumble on that possession. Maye added a fumble of his own in the fourth quarter as the Patriots were driving toward a potential go-ahead score.
For those keeping score, that’s four fumbles (all lost) and an interception on the day for the Patriots, who had not turned it over five times in a game since Nov. 30, 2008.
With all of the fumbles, the Patriots ultimately turned to Henderson, who finished the game with 11 carries for 28 yards. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
Cameron Heyward makes presence felt as turnovers reshape the game
The Patriots dominated time of possession, out-gained the Steelers significantly and were efficient on third and fourth downs. However, their five turnovers loomed large, especially two in the red zone.
Long-time defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward was in the middle of both. In the closing seconds of the first half, Heyward deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage and defensive back Brandin Echols intercepted it. Then in the third quarter, Stevenson took a handoff at the 2-yard line. Just before he crossed the goal line, Heyward got his hand on the ball to force a fumble. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer
Patriots buckle down on defense
After the first two drives, the Patriots’ defense looked like it was in for another long day. On those possessions, the Patriots struggled to tackle and gave up explosive plays.
But after that, a much-maligned defense buckled down in fashion the Patriots have had for a couple of years, totally dominating for much of the game. After the Steelers’ first two drives resulted in touchdowns, the Patriots forced three three-and-outs and intercepted Rodgers on another drive.
Over a six-drive span that began in the second quarter, the Steelers gained 19 yards (not including penalties) on 18 plays. The Patriots’ pass rush wasn’t dominant, but the D-line stopped the run and the secondary covered well. Still, the Patriots asked way too much from their defense, and finally, Rodgers got the Steelers moving late in the fourth quarter after Maye’s fumble. — Graff
Steelers personnel changes pay off
The Steelers shuffled some pieces on their struggling defense on Sunday. In the base defense, inside linebacker Cole Holcomb started in place of Payton Wilson, and former Patriot Jabrill Peppers started at strong safety.
It took just three plays for those changes to pay off when Holcomb forced a Stevenson fumble. Then in the third quarter, Peppers got some revenge on his old team when he forced a fumble and recovered it himself.
The changes could be longer-term. The Steelers entered the game allowing 4.4 yards per carry. They went with a bigger, more physical inside linebacker in an attempt to rectify their problems on the ground.
Meanwhile, with DeShon Elliott injured, the Steelers need some stability on the back end. Peppers is beginning to carve out a role for himself and may continue to get playing time even after Elliott comes back from his knee injury. — DeFabo
Drake Maye’s ups and downs
For the most part, the second-year quarterback delivered a good performance for the Patriots. He had some really impressive throws. But part of his problem is knowing when and how to give up on a play. After the Pats had already turned the ball over four times, Maye dropped back to pass with the Patriots driving and nearing field goal range for a go-ahead score. As he was pressured, Maye tried to extend the play and potentially scramble.
But he fumbled as he was sacked, and the Steelers scored the go-ahead touchdown after that.
Maye’s other turnover came with the Patriots about to tie the game at 14-14 at the end of the first half, but misread the play and threw an interception.
Maye completed 28 of 37 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns, so there were plenty of positives. But the turnovers were the story of the game for the Patriots and Maye contributed to that twice. — Graff
(Photo of Pittsburgh’s Kenneth Gainwell running against the Patriots: Jordan Bank / Getty Images)