Turnovers were the story of the highly anticipated matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. But one moment put the rubber stamp on the defeat.

On fourth and one, Drake Maye found his receiver DeMario Douglas. But Douglas opted to step around a defender and inadvertently went a yard up field rather than down.

This saw him taken down and left the Patriots 1-2 ahead of the Carolina Panthers’ visit next Sunday.

Mike Vrabel put it bluntly for his WR: “Probably have to drop step and be able to knife. You know those are bang-bang plays. Just try to split them and get the first down … I would say the decision that Pop made wasn’t the right one there.”

Pittsburgh held on for the 21-14 win as Maye and the Patriots’ offense couldn’t contain the Steelers’ defense.

Drake Maye struggled to recapture his Week 1 form, failing to convert a crucial 4th-and-1 from the Steelers’ 28 with 2:11 remaining. He found no openings and targeted Pop for zero gain, ending the drive and the Patriots’ chance to tie the game with a touchdown.

Alas, it wasn’t to be.

Vrabel commented on Maye’s performance: “A lot of good and unfortunately some decisions that have to be better. I’m sure we have to protect him better and just understanding you don’t have to win it all in one play. There are opportunities to move on and save the day on the next play. You just can’t put the ball in harm’s way at that position.”

And the leader Maye is, he’s taking this Week 3 loss in his stride.

Emotional defeat for the Patriots

During the post-match interview, Maye made himself the “fall guy”. According to Maye, it was on him that DeMario Douglas could not get the first down.

“I wish I would’ve told those guys, 4th-and-1, just try to catch it and get up field. I wish I would’ve told them that in the huddle. Those little things go a long way… Nothing Pop did wrong,” he said.

Maye’s performance alone wasn’t concerning. Well, many things went wrong for the Patriots. The defense looked undisciplined and scattered at times, and the turnovers were a major issue. They held the Steelers to 64 yards rushing on 26 carries for 2.5 yards per carry.

It marks the second time in 2025 that the Patriots held their opponent under 3 yards per carry. The first time was with the Raiders, limiting them to 2.3 yards.

The Patriots will now have to work on improving Drake Maye’s pocket awareness. They now have to work on the turnovers that the Steelers took in the red zone. As Mike Tomlin said after the victory, “That’s why we spend as much time practicing down in that space as a collective. Those takeaways down there were big.”

Vrabel has to find a way to avenge the defeat in the upcoming matchup and work on the offense-defense combination.