The heavy drizzle the preview flagged showed up as advertised, and it played out as a New England problem for Pittsburgh rather than a leaguewide equalizer — the Patriots found the end zone twice despite missing A.J. Brown, while the Steelers' offense never got out of the mud. Drake Maye and an offense reshaped by Brown's absence still produced 20 points; Rodgers and a Steelers unit that hung 20 on Atlanta a week earlier could only muster three.
New England's line score reads 7-3-3-7, a team that scored early, stayed patient through two field-goal quarters, and put it away late. Pittsburgh's 0-3-0-0 line is the story of a team that had one scoring drive in 60 minutes and nothing after halftime.
The preview wondered whether an offense missing its top receiver could find enough easy completions behind a patched-together line without Dametrious Crownover. The scoreboard says yes, at least enough — New England's defense made sure Pittsburgh never got the ball back with time or field position to make it a track meet.
Pittsburgh got Rico Dowdle back for the second half after a toe issue and Troy Fautanu played through his ankle, but neither injury note ended up mattering much against a shutout-caliber defensive performance. The loss drops the Steelers to 1-1 on the young season, while New England, still working through its own banged-up secondary and offensive line, gets its first win of the year at home.