Our third D1 New England poll of the year is here. The Ivy League teams finally got started this past weekend, UMass continued to make program history and CCSU nearly shocked the country. Here’s how things shake out in New England through three weeks of the 2026 college season: 1. UMass (3-0) – Sitting at 3-0 for the first time since 2007, UMass needs to take the Pop Watson Show……
Connecticut High School Top 25 – Week 2
Image courtesy of CIAC Sports By Rob Gullo & Andy Close NEFJ Correspondents Week 2 of the high school football season in the CIAC brought with it a few surprises. As such, there’s some movement in this week’s Top 25… 1. New Canaan (2-0) New Canaan hasn’t allowed a point through two weeks after beating No. 6 Fairfield Prep last week, 27-0. They hit the road on Friday for a…
As injuries mount for Patriots, staff has decisions to make
FOXBOROUGH – About a month ago now, the depth of the New England Patriots was the biggest question coming out of training camp. Now, that already thin, inexperienced roster has been ravaged by injuries. A.J. Brown obviously went down in Seattle and on Sunday in a ‘meh’ 20-3 win over Pittsburgh, Michael Onwenu, Dre’Mont Jones, Eli Raridon, Craig Woodson and Marcus Jones were all injured, with Onwenu and Jones obviously…
MIAA Top 25 – Week 2
By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Correspondent Another week of Massachusetts high school football is in the books. The top five remains unchanged from last week, despite Central Catholic losing. Methuen and Norwell are out of the top 25 after starting the season inside. Hingham’s one-week appearance was short-lived after suffering a loss to Abington. For the first time in the history of the New England Football Journal top 25, King Philip…
7 Points on the Patriots 20-3 win over the Steelers
The New England Patriots picked up their first victory of the season with a commanding 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Driven by a suffocating defensive effort, the Patriots stifled Pittsburgh’s offense all afternoon to secure the bounce-back win. 1. Patriots defense dominates Steelers: The story of the game was New England’s defense, which tormented Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers from start to finish. The unit recorded 4 sacks, forced…
Patriots 20, Steelers 3 – Defense carries Pats to first win
Image courtesy of Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images FOXBOROUGH – At the end of the season when playoff seeding is determined, they won’t ask how the Patriots won games, just how many. In its home opener on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots saw injuries mount and the offense struggle again, but the defense smothered Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense enough to earn a 20-3 victory. The Steelers had just 235…
Choate Rosemary Hall 14, Phillips Exeter 7 – Boars defense leads the way
By Mukala Kabongo NEFJ Correspondent EXETER, NH – Choate Rosemary Hall’s defense leads the way in 14-7 season opening road victory over Phillips Exeter Saturday afternoon. “Gutsy, ugly game, they showed some heart there, finding a way to win it,” said Choate head coach Lawrence Spinnato. We’ve got some observations from the opener for both teams: Defense: Choate’s defensive unit played incredible throughout the day, creating pressure on Exeter quarterback…
New England CFB Recap – Week 3
Week 3 is in the books. We were able to cover eight of the 17 D1 New England teams in action on Saturday (check out the home page), but here’s what else you may have missed around the region during the first full slate of the year for NEFJ: No. 19 Yale 38, Holy Cross 28 Behind a ridiculous 454-yard, five-touchdown performance by Dante Reno, the Bulldogs opened their season…
Patriots Game Plan vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Patriots host the Steelers in the home opener. Pittsburgh beat the Patriots the last time they were here last season 21-14 thanks to five Patriots turnovers. New England hopes to turn things around today but they will have to do it against a Mike McCarthy led team that wants to throw the ball down the field more on offense and bring more pressure and play man on defense. It…
Patriots Four Down Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at New England Patriots (0-1)
The New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a marquee early-season AFC matchup at Gillette Stadium. Both franchises share a rich tradition of hard-nosed, defensive-minded football, making every meeting between these two historical powerhouses a physical battle in the trenches. Coming off a week where execution down the stretch proved to be the deciding factor, New England has a prime opportunity to establish its identity on home turf against…