The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to take on their first road challenge of the Mike McCarthy era in the Steel City. That will reignite a heated rivalry as they face the New England Patriots on the road in Foxborough. Following New England's Week 1 loss on the road to the Seattle Seahawks, they received some devastating news. Wide receiver AJ Brown was put on Injured Reserve (IR) due to a high ankle sprain. The news provided a huge blow to their offense after acquiring him this past offseason. Now, the Black and Gold are game planning without having to go up against the veteran pass-catcher.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy walks off of the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium after his first win as head coach in Pittsburgh.
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham spent several years in New England's before moving on to advance his NFL career. He also was on the staff during his time there with their offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. On Sunday, the two of them will face off on opposing sidelines.
On Friday, Andy Gresh, who has worked doing radio in Boston for several years joined 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh to break down the game. He was specifically asked about the matchup between the two coordinators for Sundays game. Despite the injury to Brown, he thinks McDaniels does have an advantage he can use against Graham.
“Yeah I think there still is an advantage for [Josh] McDaniels because he has a running back coming back in TreVeyon Henderson who can do more than just run the ball,” Gresh said. “For those Steelers fans that remember there goes Kevin Faulk out wide and there goes a linebacker running out there and it’s a go route down the sidelines for a touchdown. That’s where McDaniels has to beat Patrick Graham in the mismatch game.”
Running back TreVeyon Henderson missed Week 1 due to an ankle injury. His return will help lighten the load for the other Patriots running back, Rhamondre Stevenson, who played in 60 of 71 offensive snaps for them against Seattle.
Henderson played in all 17 games in the 2025 season, rushing the ball 180 times for 911 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added 35 receptions for 221 yards through the air with one receiving touchdown.
While the loss of Brown was significant, getting the second year running back from Ohio State will add a dynamic layer to their offensive attack. For Pittsburgh, this will be a step up in competition after facing the Atlanta Falcons and their third-string quarterback Cooper Rush in Week 1.
Quarterback Drake Maye also finished second last season in NFL MVP voting while leading New England to a Super Bowl appearance. This will be a good measuring stick type of game for Graham to see how his defense can step up and answer a big challenge.
Steelers Defense Must Carry Momentum Over From Week
The Black and Gold defense had an impressive Week 1 showing, albeit facing off against a third-string quarterback in Rush. Edge rusher TJ Watt saw a different method in which he was deployed, which helped him be more fresh later on the game.
This new deployment paved the way for him to make a huge play in the fourth quarter as he picked off Rush and returned it for a touchdown for Pittsburgh. The play drew some high praise from McCarthy following the game when speaking with the media.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA.
The first game of Graham's defense could not have gone better as they imposed their will early and often against Atlanta. As they get set to face a heated rival on Sunday, they will need to carry over that momentum as the competition is taking a significant step up.
Maye having a dynamic pass-catching running back is also a huge boost despite the injury to Brown as New England looks for its first win on the season. Winning this matchup against McDaniels would be huge, not just for the Steelers, but also for Graham in his second game with the franchise.
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