TreVeyon Henderson ran for 76 yards and one touchdown as the New England Patriots built an early advantage and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3 on September 20, 2026 at Gillette Stadium, improving to 0-1.
Quarter-by-Quarter
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| NE | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
New England turned Pittsburgh’s afternoon into four quarters of frustration, leaning on TreVeyon Henderson’s early burst and a defense that never let Aaron Rodgers settle in during a 20-3 win. Henderson ripped off a 39-yard touchdown in the first quarter and finished with 76 yards on 16 carries, while Drake Maye completed 14 of 22 passes for 208 yards despite throwing an interception. Romeo Doubs supplied New England’s biggest plays through the air, turning three catches into 96 yards, including a 63-yarder. The Patriots didn’t need much more offensively because their defense kept shutting every door Pittsburgh tried to open, and Elijah Ponder slammed it completely with a 19-yard fumble-return touchdown early in the fourth.
Pittsburgh’s defense actually gave the offense chances. T.J. Watt recorded 1.5 sacks, Alex Highsmith added another and Patrick Queen intercepted Maye as the Steelers held New England to just one offensive touchdown. The problem was Rodgers and the offense never gave that effort anything back. Rodgers finished 23 of 39 for 187 yards with an interception, took four sacks and watched Pittsburgh convert just 2 of 12 third downs. DK Metcalf was held to four catches for 27 yards, while Jaylen Warren led the ground game with only 43. New England forced two turnovers, allowed just 235 total yards and held Pittsburgh scoreless after halftime, wasting a strong defensive showing from the Steelers by completely suffocating their offense.
Postgame Statistical Breakdown
Team Stats
| Stat | Pittsburgh Steelers | New England Patriots |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 3 | 20 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 235 | 327 |
| Passing Yards | 144 | 191 |
| Rushing Yards | 91 | 136 |
| Total Plays | 67 | 53 |
| Yards Per Play | 3.5 | 6.2 |
| First Downs | 16 | 15 |
| Third Downs | 2-12 | 4-12 |
| Third-Down % | 16.7% | 33.3% |
| Fourth Downs | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Passing TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 | 1 |
| Total Offensive TDs | 0 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks Allowed | 4 | 3 |
| Penalties | 5 | 6 |
| Penalty Yards | 59 | 31 |
| Time of Possession | 32:47 | 27:13 |
Passing
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Aaron Rodgers — 23/39, 59.0%, 187 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 4.8 YPA, 4 SACK, 60.5 RTG
New England Patriots
- Drake Maye — 14/22, 63.6%, 208 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 9.5 YPA, 3 SACK, 75.6 RTG
Rushing
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jaylen Warren — 11 CAR, 43 YDS, 3.9 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 10
- Rico Dowdle — 7 CAR, 22 YDS, 3.1 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 6
New England Patriots
- TreVeyon Henderson — 16 CAR, 76 YDS, 4.8 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 39
- Rhamondre Stevenson — 6 CAR, 43 YDS, 7.2 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 24, 1 FUM
Receiving
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Germie Bernard — 4 REC, 8 TGT, 35 YDS, 8.8 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 19
- Jaylen Warren — 2 REC, 4 TGT, 34 YDS, 17.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 26
- Pat Freiermuth — 4 REC, 5 TGT, 32 YDS, 8.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
- Roman Wilson — 5 REC, 6 TGT, 28 YDS, 5.6 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
- DK Metcalf — 4 REC, 9 TGT, 27 YDS, 6.8 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 16
New England Patriots
- Romeo Doubs — 3 REC, 4 TGT, 96 YDS, 32.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 63
- Hunter Henry — 3 REC, 5 TGT, 40 YDS, 13.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 29
- Eli Raridon — 1 REC, 1 TGT, 30 YDS, 30.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 30
- Mack Hollins — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 18 YDS, 9.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 10
- Kyle Williams — 1 REC, 2 TGT, 10 YDS, 10.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 10
Scoring Plays
| Qtr | Clock | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 8:22 | New England Patriots | TreVeyon Henderson 39-yard run (Andy Borregales kick) | PIT 0, NE 7 |
| Q2 | 14:14 | New England Patriots | Andy Borregales 30-yard field goal | PIT 0, NE 10 |
| Q2 | 0:00 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Chris Boswell 56-yard field goal | PIT 3, NE 10 |
| Q3 | 0:43 | New England Patriots | Andy Borregales 45-yard field goal | PIT 3, NE 13 |
| Q4 | 13:37 | New England Patriots | Elijah Ponder 19-yard Fumble Return (Andy Borregales kick) | PIT 3, NE 20 |
Defense
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Alex Highsmith — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 TFL, 1 SACK, 3 QBH, 1 PD
- T.J. Watt — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1.5 SACK, 2 QBH
- Nick Herbig — 7 TOT, 4 SOLO, 3 TFL
- Payton Wilson — 6 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 FR
- Derrick Harmon — 8 TOT, 1 SOLO, 0.5 SACK, 1 QBH
- Patrick Queen — 2 TOT, 1 INT, 3 INT YDS, 1 PD
- Asante Samuel Jr. — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 PD
- Cameron Heyward — 3 TOT, 1 QBH, 1 PD
- Jaquan Brisker — 6 TOT, 1 SOLO
- Rayshawn Jenkins — 5 TOT, 4 SOLO
New England Patriots
- Elijah Ponder — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 3 TFL, 1 SACK, 2 QBH, 1 FR, 1 FR TD
- Christian Elliss — 12 TOT, 7 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
- Gabe Jacas — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 QBH, 1 INT, 11 INT YDS, 1 PD
- Charles Woods — 10 TOT, 8 SOLO, 1 PD
- Joshua Farmer — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
- Christian Barmore — 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
- Craig Woodson — 7 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 PD
- Christian Gonzalez — 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 2 PD
- Robert Spillane — 6 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 QBH
- Kevin Byard — 4 TOT, 2 SOLO
Kick Returns
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Kaden Wetjen — 4 KR, 92 YDS, 23.0 AVG, LONG 26, 0 TD
New England Patriots
- Kyle Williams — 1 KR, 29 YDS, 29.0 AVG, LONG 29, 0 TD
Punt Returns
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Kaden Wetjen — 2 PR, 21 YDS, 10.5 AVG, LONG 17, 0 TD
New England Patriots
- Marcus Jones — 4 PR, 40 YDS, 10.0 AVG, LONG 19, 0 TD
