Patriots Recent Success In Pittsburgh
Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) is one of the toughest places to play for opposing teams. The rowdy, sellout fans always make things tough for the quarterback in white. But the Patriots crew have found ways to succeed in Pittsburgh. Since 1998, the Pats are 7-3 in Pittsburgh. Of course the success of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick made the Patriots one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history. However, teams like the Ravens and Colts have been competitive against the Pats. The Steelers will host the Patriots in Week 2 this season. It will be the first game that the Patriots come to Pittsburgh without Tom Brady. Here are some notable wins by the Pats in Pittsburgh.
2001: Patriots 24, Steelers 17 (AFC Championship)
The Steelers were 10-point favorites against the upstart Patriots heading into the AFC Championship. Tom Brady was the young understudy at the time who earned his first of many trips to the Super Bowl. A minor injury from Tom Brady forced Drew Bledsoe to enter the game. Although Bledsoe had strong efforts, it was wide receiver Troy Brown who stole the show. Troy Brown had a punt return for the game’s first score and threw an impactful lateral on a 49-yard blocked field goal return. The Steelers cut the score to 21-17 at the start of the 4th quarter, but Kordell Stewart’s two interceptions couldn’t be overcome.
2004: Patriots 41, Steelers 27 (AFC Championship)
The 14-2 Pats and the 15-1 Steelers clashed as two of the best teams in the NFL. The Steelers already defeated the Patriots during the regular season and wanted to have a repeat. Big Ben was only in his second ever playoff game and couldn’t match Tom Brady’s production. The Patriots had a 24-3 lead and that was enough to have a handle on the lead. After halftime, the Steelers never had a legitimate chance to flip the momentum. The growth experiences of loss helped build for the Steelers historic 2005 season.
2017: Patriots 27, Steelers 24
The Steelers had control of the best record in the AFC, but then came New England. The Steelers had a solid game plan from the start and took a 24-16 lead to end the 3rd quarter. With under five minutes left to play, the Patriots scored a field goal and touchdown to hold the 27-24 advantage. With under one minute left, Big Ben threw two passes to Juju and the Steelers were inside the redzone after only two plays.
On the first play in the red zone, Big Ben “completed” a pass to Jesse James for the touchdown. It looked as if the Steelers would win and finally hold a strangle on the AFC. But all of the sudden, the play went under review and to the shock of many, the play was ruled “incomplete.” Big Ben threw an interception two plays later and the air was sucked out of Heinz Field.
Other Recent Patriots Wins In Pittsburgh: 1998: New England 23, Pittsburgh 9 2005: New England 23, Pittsburgh 20 2010: New England 39, Pittsburgh 26 2016: New England 27, Pittsburgh 16