Steelers' Cameron Heyward Sees A Warning Sign Hiding Inside New England's 0-1 Start

The Pittsburgh Steelers are walking into the sort of Week 2 matchup that can become dangerous for exactly one reason: the record looks more comforting than the film. New England is 0-1, Pittsburgh is 1-0, and a quick glance at the standings makes the trip to Foxborough feel fairly straightforward. The Steelers' longest-tenured defensive leader watched the Patriots' opener and came away with a very different impression.

Cameron Heyward saw a New England Patriots team that pushed the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to the final drive despite losing one of its biggest offensive weapons and playing without another.

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Heyward explained why Pittsburgh cannot treat New England's 13-10 loss like evidence of an easy afternoon.

“It was a tight game for a pretty good amount of time. AJ Brown goes down and they’re still battling back. They were without TreVeyon Henderson, but they were still able to run the ball with success. I thought their defense played very good… That team played hard… To know that it went down to the last drive says a lot about, you know, you can take the Super Bowl champs down to the wire. And so we got our hands full… Drake Maye runs the ball, can throw the ball… Their defense is just opportunistic… They just know how to make plays. They know how to make timely plays,” Heyward said.

Heyward's point starts with context. AJ Brown left New England's opener in the third quarter with an ankle injury after catching three passes for 26 yards. The Patriots later placed him on injured reserve, meaning Pittsburgh will not see him Sunday. TreVeyon Henderson did not play at all because of an ankle injury.

New England still produced 109 rushing yards and controlled the ball for more than 34 minutes. The offense was hardly explosive, but it spent most of the night doing enough to keep Seattle uncomfortable. That is worth remembering for a Pittsburgh defense that left its own opener dissatisfied with how much room Atlanta found on the ground.

The uglier part for New England came late. Drake Maye was efficient through three quarters before throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions, including one in the end zone with 26 seconds remaining. Instead, the quarterback tried to create more and the reigning champions punished him for it.

Pittsburgh would obviously welcome the same generosity. Assuming it will simply show up again would be a mistake.

Maye gives the Patriots a variable Atlanta did not present in quite the same way. He can escape, extend a down and turn man coverage into a footrace once defenders turn their backs. Heyward highlighted both sides of that problem: Maye is capable of making NFL throws, but he also makes a defense account for his legs when the original play breaks down.

That changes rush discipline. TJ Watt and Pittsburgh's front can wreck games when quarterbacks are forced to sit on a spot, but Maye can punish an edge defender who gets too eager and creates an exit lane. Sacks remain valuable. A sack attempt that turns into 14 scrambling yards is considerably less charming.

Heyward also kept returning to New England's defense. The Patriots allowed only 13 points and 297 total yards against Seattle while holding the Seahawks to 2-of-11 on third down. They did not force a turnover, but Heyward's description of the group as opportunistic speaks more to its style than one box score. New England has enough playmakers to make one bad Pittsburgh decision feel much larger than it did when the ball left the quarterback's hand.

That warning fits neatly with Pittsburgh's own Week 1 reality check. The Steelers beat Atlanta 20-13 without playing clean offensive football. Their defense supplied the biggest swings, while the offense left enough opportunities unused to keep the game tight longer than necessary. Winning bought them the right to correct those mistakes at 1-0. It did not erase them.

Steelers Cannot Let New England's Record Do The Scouting

The easiest trap this week would be treating the Patriots like a club Pittsburgh should simply outlast because one side won its opener and the other did not. Week 1 already showed how thin that logic can be. New England led Seattle 10-0 deep into the third quarter before three turnovers flipped the night.

Heyward has played too long to confuse a final score with a full scouting report. He noticed the injuries, the defense, the quarterback's movement and the fact that New England kept the reigning champions within one possession until the final snap. None guarantees the Patriots will play well Sunday. They explain why Pittsburgh cannot wait around to find out.

The Steelers should have advantages. Brown being unavailable removes the Patriots' most accomplished receiver. Pittsburgh's pass rush just produced four sacks against Atlanta, and Watt is coming off an AFC Defensive Player of the Week performance. Those are real edges, but they only become useful if Pittsburgh handles the less glamorous parts first.

Contain Maye without opening escape lanes, tackle the run before it becomes a rhythm and protect the football against a defense Heyward believes is waiting for one timely mistake. None of that belongs on a highlight reel. It is precisely the kind of work that prevents an 0-1 opponent from turning into a very annoying Sunday.

Pittsburgh enters Foxborough with the better record. Heyward watched enough of the Patriots' loss to know that may be the least interesting thing about them.

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