Patriots host Steelers as Gonzalez sidelined in Week 3

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, a Week 3 AFC matchup that pits veteran Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers against secondyear quarterback Drake Maye and a Patriots team seeking its first consecutive wins since 2022. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Eastern on CBS, with the game carrying extra weight for both clubs as an early test in the AFC wild card picture.

New England and Pittsburgh enter the game 1-1, but the story heading into the weekend has been the Patriots secondary. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, New England’s All-Pro from last season, returned to practice midweek after a hamstring injury that sidelined him since late July. He was listed as a limited participant in practices Wednesday through Friday, but the team downgraded him to out on Saturday, coach Mike Vrabel announced. Vrabel had called Gonzalez’s presence in practice “very good” and said the staff would continue to evaluate him up to game time before the decision to rule him out.

Gonzalez, who told reporters he has found the injury “very challenging,” received public support from teammates during his brief return. Safety Jaylinn Hawkins called him...