Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrates with quarterback Drake Maye (10) after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of a game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. Bill Kostroun/New York Post See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google Two AFC teams with playoff aspirations meet in the early window of Week 2 as Mike Vrabel and the Patriots host the Steelers in their home opener.
Oddsmakers have pitted New England as 5.5-point home favorites, with the Over/Under settling in at 41.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
These squads last squared off in Week 3 of last season, when Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh snapped a three-game skid against New England by securing a win.
The Super Bowl hangover was evident for Drake Maye and the Patriots in their sloppy 13-10 Week 1 loss to the Seahawks.
Maye threw three costly interceptions, and the reigning AFC champions lost newly acquired wideout AJ Brown to a high-ankle sprain, to add insult to injury.
Now they return home to Foxborough to host Rodgers and the Steelers, who handled business at home against Atlanta, defeating the Falcons in a game that was much closer than expected.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Steelers’ hard-nosed defense contained backup Cooper Rush, Bijan Robinson and the Falcons’ offense to just 4.2 yards per play in their low-scoring 20-13 win.
T.J. Watt registered his first career pick-six, which proved to be a decisive play, as Rodgers finished with a rusty 36.9 QBR rate as the Steelers’ offense accounted for one score only.
Although both offenses struggled at times last week, one Patriots pass catcher is in prime position to break through and capitalize on early-season injuries: tight end end Hunter Henry.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws during the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sunday, September 13, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect In four career games against Pittsburgh, Henry has racked up 19 receptions for 230 yards and six touchdowns. Even more impressive, the veteran tight end has hauled in multi-touchdown performances against Pittsburgh on three separate occasions.
Pittsburgh struggled mightily against tight ends last year, surrendering 106 receptions and 11 touchdowns—figures that tied for the fourth-highest mark league-wide, per Pro Football Reference.
Josh McDaniels will be sure to draw up some action involving Henry, especially with Brown down, and only Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins relatively left in a thin Pats wide receiver corps that surprisingly dealt Kayshaun Boutte before the season-opener.
With Brown sidelined, expect Henry to work the short passing game with Maye and find the end zone.
The Play: Hunter Henry Over 3.5 total receptions (+106, FanDuel) | Henry to score a touchdown (+230, DraftKings)
Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
