Last Sunday, coach Mike McCarthy won in his Pittsburgh debut. (The 20-13 game easily could have gone the other way.) With a win at New England on Sunday, McCarthy will be the fourth coach in Steelers history to start his tenure with the team at 2-0.
Via NBC Sports research, the others were Mike Tomlin in 2007, Bill Cowher in 1992, and Johnny Blood in 1937, when the team was known as the Pirates.
On the flip side, the Patriots hope to avoid starting 0-2 for the second time in 20 seasons. It last happened in 2023, to start Bill BelichickâÂÂs final run in New England.
A loss would make the Patriots the fifth Super Bowl participant since 2000 to start 0-2 the next year. It also happened to the 2025 Chiefs, the 2022 Bengals, the 2015 Seahawks, and the 2022 Rams. (Both the 2022 Bengals and 2015 Seahawks recovered to make the playoffs.)
Is it a âÂÂmustâ win for New England? With trips to Jacksonville and Buffalo on deck, it very well could be.