Week 2 was a much-needed bounce-back for the New England Patriots, who earned win number one of the season, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3. New England's win was much needed after a brutal loss to the Seattle Seahawks to start the season. The highlight for the Patriots was the defense.
Against the Steelers, the Patriots defense forced two turnovers (one fumble returned for a touchdown by Elijah Ponder and one interception by rookie Gabe Jacas). Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times by the Patriots.
Offensively, the Patriots looked better but still had some struggles, finishing with two turnovers (one Drake Maye interception and one Rhamondre Stevenson fumble). While the offense looked better, the Patriots suffered a huge loss on the offensive line.
Patriots lose Mike Onwenu to potential season-ending injury
Late in the first quarter, Patriots starting right guard Mike Onwenu went down with an ankle injury (if you don't like bad injuries, don't watch the injury) and was carted back to the locker room. Onwenu is the longest-tenured member of the offensive line and arguably the team's best lineman.
And according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Michigan native is "feared to have suffered a season-ending leg injury."
Once Onwenu left the game, veteran guard Greg Van Roten took over and finished the game. For Van Roten, the Patriots are the seventh team he's suited up for throughout his career, with the most recent team he played for being the New York Giants. If the Patriots want Van Roten to continue to start, he's the choice with the most experience that they could choose.
New England's other option would be Ben Brown, who took over for Jared Wilson last season when he was out with a concussion. Brown missed the opening week of the season for the Patriots with a knee injury, but was on the active roster for Week 2. While he didn't take over when Onwenu went down, it could be because he wasn't a lock to be available for the game, and the Patriots wanted to play the guy who was 100% healthy.
This week of practice should be interesting, as we should know early on which of the two will be taking over for Onwenu. No matter who the Patriots end up going with, losing Onwenu is a huge blow to the offense.
So far this season, the offensive line has looked solid, and Onwenu was a huge part of the success. Even though we've seen Brown play well in place of others and Van Roten has a lot of experience, it's unfortunate for the Patriots that they'll have to find a replacement for Onwenu.
Now at 1-1, the Patriots will go on the road in Week 3 when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is coming off a playoff berth last season and an impressive Week 1 game. We'll see these teams play each other on Sunday, September 27 at 1 p.m. ET.
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