Steelers rolling, Patriots looking to bounce back in latest matchup between franchises

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — During his 24 seasons with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick never held back in expressing his affinity for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

From the praise he showered on the Steelers' ownership, to the team's success on the field — currently tied with New England with an NFL-best six Super Bowl wins — Belichick talked about Pittsburgh with reverence.

The past and future for both franchises will be on display in Sunday's latest matchup.

The Steelers (1-0) are coming off the successful debut of new coach Mike McCarthy following the departure of Mike Tomlin, and a vintage effort from 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers in their opening win over Atlanta.

“I feel really good,” Rodgers said. “Legs feel good. Feel good moving around, and I feel like I’m just going to keep on getting better.”

While the reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy has brought a new dynamic to this incarnation of the Steelers, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the expectations are always the same when the Pittsburgh is on the opposing sideline.

“I think the Steelers is the identity,” Vrabel said. “The Steelers are going to be the Steelers. They’re big and they’re long and they’re going to try to force the quarterback into making mistakes."

The Patriots (0-1) will be entering their second home opener under Vrabel, the architect of New England's renaissance in the post-Tom Brady era, and with a third-year quarterback in Drake Maye whose post-Super Bowl run honeymoon appears to be over following one of the worst performances of his young career in last week's 13-10 loss to Seattle.

It marked the first time in his NFL career that Maye's thrown three interceptions in a game. Turnovers also were an issue in last season's loss to Pittsburgh, in which the Patriots had five giveaways.

One option Maye won't have this week is wide receiver A.J. Brown, who left the Seattle loss with a high-ankle sprain. He has since been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four games.

Maye said that overcoming Brown's absence must start with him.

“I think based on last week I need to elevate my game in general. I’m trying to be the best I can back there and strive to have games like last year where I am close to completing every pass,” Maye said. “It’s a team effort and realizing that a lot of guys need to step up and do extra things and strain a little bit harder for us to keep going in the right direction.”

Pittsburgh (1-0) at New England (0-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

Latest odds: Patriots by 5

Against the spread: Steelers 1-0; Patriots 0-0-1.

Last week: Steelers beat the Falcons 20-13; Patriots lose to the Seahawks 13-10.

Last meeting: Steelers beat the Patriots 21-14 on Sept. 21, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass,

Series record: Patriots lead 19-17.

Steelers defensive line vs. Patriots offensive line: New England did a decent job protecting Maye in Week 1. But the Patriots struggled to run the ball, gaining only 109 yards (3.5 per carry) against Seattle, leaving New England ranked 17th in the NFL in rushing entering Week 2. Pittsburgh allowed Atlanta only 3.9 yards per rush in the Steelers' Week 1 win.

— The status of Pittsburgh CB Joey Porter Jr. is uncertain. The 26-year-old sat out Week 1 and was limited in practice this week while recovering from a back injury, all set against the backdrop of stalled contract negotiations that have put his long-term future with the team in doubt.

— Steelers LB T.J. Watt’s late pick-6 against Atlanta last week put him in some pretty elite company. Watt joined Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players in NFL history to have 100 sacks and 10 interceptions.

— Pittsburgh’s victory in the opener marked the 164th regular-season win as a starting quarterback for Rodgers, leaving him one shy of tying former Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger for fifth on the NFL’s career list.

— The Steelers are hoping to get the running game going after a shaky performance against the Falcons. Pittsburgh averaged just 2.8 yards per carry, though Jaylen Warren churned out a clock-draining first down late in the fourth quarter.

— Patriots TE Hunter Henry enters the game with 2,999 receiving yards (fourth in team history) in his six seasons in New England. With another more yard he'll join Rob Gronkowski (7,861), Ben Coates 5,471) and Russ Francis 3,157) as the only Patriot tight ends to reach 3,000.

— New England's offense could get a boost with RB TreVeyon Henderson on track to return from an ankle injury that kept him sidelined last week against the Seahawks. Henderson rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie last season.

— Pittsburgh will be the second of four straight Patriots opponents to open the season against teams that made the playoffs a year ago. New England is the ninth team in the past 40 seasons to begin its schedule with four consecutive playoff teams from the previous year.

— Vrabel is looking to avoid just the second 0-2 start of his eight-year coaching career. The Titans started 0-2 during his fifth season in Tennessee in 2022 on the way to a 7-10 finish.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel answers questions during a media availability prior to an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy runs calls on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye throws a pass during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to pass during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

DETROIT (AP) — An F-16 pilot safely ejected before the fighter jet crashed Thursday in rural Michigan, sending plumes of smoke into the sky and triggering temporary evacuations for nearby residents after police said hazardous chemicals spilled from the wreckage.

Sgt. Derek Gutierrez, a public affairs specialist with the 149th Fighter Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, said the pilot was receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. Gutierrez declined to release details about the pilot’s identity or any injuries, citing military policy.

The pilot was conscious and speaking to law enforcement at the hospital, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea said in a press briefing.

The plane was participating in training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, about 190 miles (305 kilometers) north of Detroit.

Another pilot told air traffic controllers that he believes his wingman hit a bird and crashed, according to audio posted by www.liveatc.net.

“We have a possible Mayday. My wingman I believe may have taken a bird,” the pilot reported. The controller offered to direct him to a nearby airport in Frankfort or Traverse City, but the pilot said his wingman had already crashed.

Gutierrez said he hadn't heard anything about a possible bird strike, and said the crash is under investigation.

“Once we get some more information and it's approved, we can release it to you,” he said.

Nathan Smith was working at a construction site about a mile from the crash. He said he started recording the passing fighter jet because something about its flight path struck him as odd.

“It was strange to see a jet flying that low and slow,” Smith said. “A few seconds after the video cuts, I heard a loud ‘bang,’ which I believe now to be the pilot ejecting, but I didn’t think of that at the time.”

Wendy Sobeck said she and her husband heard a “very loud crash” down the road, minutes from their rural home.

“We thought there was a car accident outside our house. We saw big billowing black smoke. We couldn’t tell what it was, so my husband got into his pickup truck and saw what happened,” Sobeck said. “You could see the plane debris in the field. Explosions kept happening.”

Fred Sobeck, 65, said he drove down the road and saw a “big fireball in the field” near a house and a camper, which were not hit.

“Police told me to get out of there because of explosions,” he said.

Emergency officials first directed nearby residents to shelter in place, but a short time later the Michigan State Police evacuated people within one mile because of a hazardous chemical spill related to the crash. The state police did not release details about the nature of the spill, but F-16 jets use hydrazine, a toxic chemical, as a component of emergency power unit fuel.

The jet was one of several F-16 aircraft from the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, taking part in the Michigan training exercises, Gutierrez said.

The military began flying the first F-16s in 1979. There have been at least 14 “Class A mishaps” involving F-16s since 2000, according to the Air Force Safety Center. The Class A mishap designation is generally used when the damage totals more than $2 million, when an aircraft is destroyed or when a service member is killed.

In December, an F-16C Fighting Falcon with the Air Force’s elite Thunderbirds demonstration squadron crashed in the Southern California desert, and the pilot in that crash was also able to eject safely.

Smoke rises after an F-16 fighter jet crashed in a rural area near Traverse City, Mich., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (Rebecca Lamberson via AP)

Smoke rises after an F-16 fighter jet crashed in a rural area near Traverse City, Mich., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (Rebecca Lamberson via AP)