After each team split its first two games, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots will both be looking to climb over the .500 mark Sunday when they meet in Foxborough, Mass.
New England is coming off a 33-27 victory over Miami last week and will be attempting to win back-to-back games for the first time since the 2022 season, when the Patriots defeated Detroit (29-0) and Cleveland (38-15) in consecutive weeks.
“There’s a lot of stats here, guys, that I’m not familiar with, nor am I concerned with,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said during his weekly press conference. “The focus is trying to build some consistency, which would then lead to confidence, and continue to build on what we did, improve the things that we have to fix and then continue to eliminate some of the things that we feel like could get you beat.”
Run defense will be a key for Pittsburgh, which allowed 117 yards rushing on 29 attempts during last Sunday’s 31-17 loss to Seattle. The Steelers gave up 182 yards rushing in a 34-22 victory over the New York Jets in Week 1.
Pittsburgh has allowed at least 30 points in each of the season’s first two games for the first time since 2002. The Steelers gave up 30 points or more twice last season.
Cornerback Darius Slay (rest), cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring), safety DeShon Elliott (knee), linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle), and linebacker T.J. Watt (rest) did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Offensive lineman Max Scharping (knee) and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee) had limited participation, and linebacker Patrick Queen (oblique) was a full participant.
Harmon, a rookie out of Oregon, said Wednesday he’s ready to play after missing the first two games with a knee injury suffered in Pittsburgh’s final preseason game.
“I’m ready to go,” Harmon said. “If my number is called, I’m ready to go.”
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin cited attrition as one of the reasons the Seattle offense was able to have so much success last Sunday.
“I thought our defense wore down some, particularly as the game went on,” Tomlin said. “We had the desire to improve our run defense, and I thought, particularly initially, we did. But there’s an attrition component to the game, and our lines got a little thin at various points in the game.”
Defensive end Keion White (illness) did not practice for the Patriots on Wednesday. Defensive tackle Christian Barmore (non-injury related), linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (hamstring), cornerback Carlton Davis III (Achilles), cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), linebacker Harold Landry (foot), linebacker Marte Mapu (neck), offensive tackle Morgan Moses (foot), fullback Jack Westover (hamstring) and guard Jaren Wilson (thigh) had limited participation.
New England cornerback Christian Gonzalez practiced Wednesday for the first time since he sustained a hamstring injury July 28 in training camp, but it isn’t clear if he will play Sunday.
“Excited to be out there,” Gonzalez said. “I love football. This is what I do, so I mean it’s been very challenging to be out for so long.”
The Patriots would welcome Gonzalez’s return as they have allowed a league-high 630 passing yards this season, despite also leading the league in sacks (nine).
