Julian Edelman rings the bell; Jayson Tatum, Roman Anthony in attendance for Patriots-Steelers Week 3
There was a palatable buzz inside Gillette Stadium on Sunday leading up the Week 3's Patriots-Steelers showdown. Julian Edelman and his red Patriots Hall of Fame jacket got the crowd into it before kickoff, and stars of the Celtics and Red Sox were also in attendance for the big game.
Fresh off being enshrined in the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, Edelman was the "Keeper of the Light" and rang the bell atop the lighthouse at Gillette Stadium before Sunday's game. He got a hand from his young daughter, Lily Grace.
Today's Keeper of the Light:
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 21, 2025
Patriots Hall of Famer @Edelman11! pic.twitter.com/ttUv1qtrQx
Edelman will also be honored with a halftime ceremony at Gillette Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Jayson Tatum at Patriots-Steelers
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was also in attendance on Sunday, sporing a red sweater to match New England's throwback uniforms for the game. He was joined by his young son, Deuce, for the game.
.@jaytatum0 and his son Deuce taking in the @Patriots game ❤️💙
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2025
PITvsNE– 1pm ET on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/Q2lT6WQVIv
Tatum appeared to be moving well as he continues to recover from the torn Achilles he suffered in the Celtics' second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks in May.
Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer at Patriots-Steelers too
A few stars of the Red Sox who are also currently recovering from injury were at the game as well, with rookies Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer soaking it all in from the sideline before the Pats-Steelers clash. The duo got to spend a moment with the Tatum before the game.
Boston sports 🙌@celtics | @RedSox pic.twitter.com/50MNng1gZu
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 21, 2025
Anthony is already a star after just 71 games for the Red Sox, but he remains sidelined with an oblique strain. There's no timetable for his return to the Red Sox lineup, but he did start walking on a treadmill last week and Anthony is feeling better, per manager Alex Cora.
The hope is Anthony will be good to go for the ALCS in mid-October, if the Red Sox make it that far in the MLB postseason.
Mayer is done for the year, after the infielder had season-ending surgery on his right wrist in August.
Rap superstar Jay-Z is also in attendance for Sunday's game, the Patriots shared on X.