1/23/2005
New England at Pittsburgh
By Mark Riley,
The two-time MVP was no problem last week. Neither was another two-time MVP in the Super Bowl three years ago.
Now all that stands between the New England Patriots and a chance to play for another title is a quarterback who nobody has been able to beat yet -- including the Patriots themselves.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hope Ben Roethlisberger is the missing piece to help them avoid another AFC Championship Game loss when they host the Patriots in a showdown between the teams with the NFL's best records.
The contest is a rematch of the AFC Championship Game following the 2001 season, when New England went into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers 24-17. The Patriots then stunned the St. Louis Rams 20-17 to win their first of two Super Bowl titles in three years.
Those two upsets helped cement Patriots coach Bill Belichick's reputation for devising schemes to stop top quarterbacks and teams. New England had two interceptions of Kurt Warner, who won his second MVP that season, and forced the powerful Rams offense into three turnovers.
"It's a nice compliment," Belichick said of his reputation. "I don't think it really means much this week. I don't think anybody cares about that. I'm sure Pittsburgh doesn't care."
He has earned even more praise for his brilliance the last two years while leading New England to a 32-4 record, with one Super Bowl title and another one just two wins away. His teams are 4-0, including two playoff wins, over the last two seasons against Indianapolis and its quarterback Peyton Manning, who won or shared MVP honors in both years.
But just like everybody else in the NFL, he hasn't yet shown he has answers for the Steelers since Roethlisberger became their starting quarterback.
The NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year has won his first 14 starts, helping Pittsburgh to the longest winning streak in franchise history and the best record in the NFL this season.
Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes and the Steelers had 417 yards of offense when they beat the Patriots 34-20 on Oct. 31, snapping New England's NFL-record 21-game winning streak, counting playoffs.
"We didn't do hardly anything well," Belichick said. "Obviously, I did a terrible job. You get beat 34-13 or whatever it was, you don't feel very good about your job."
That win helped Pittsburgh earn home-field advantage for Sunday's game, but that hasn't mattered much in the recent past. Before their loss to the Patriots three years ago, the Steelers also lost AFC championship games at home to Denver in 1998 and San Diego in 1995. Their last Super Bowl appearance came after they beat Indianapolis in 1996.
"I think we have been prepared to play every game," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "When you go into the playoffs, you are playing quality teams and you can't turn the ball over and squander scoring opportunities. Those things have a way of staring you in the face at the end of a football game."
The Steelers seemed headed for another home playoff loss last week, but pulled out a 20-17 overtime victory over the Jets after New York kicker Doug Brien missed a pair of field goals late in regulation.
Roethlisberger looked like a rookie for one of the few times this season. He had one pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, and another interception set up the Jets with good field position before Brien's second miss.
"I did everything I could to lose the game," Roethlisberger said. "I've got to play better. That was terrible. The game we played today is not going to cut it."
That game had to remind some Pittsburgh fans of the AFC championship game loss to New England. The Jets scored a special teams and a defensive touchdown, while the Patriots scored twice on special teams in their win three years ago.
Those kinds of scores sometimes seem necessary against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked first in the NFL overall and against the run. The Steelers forced four turnovers and held the Patriots to 5 yards rushing in the regular-season meeting.
However, the Patriots didn't have an injured Corey Dillon that day. Dillon's arrival from Cincinnati helped make what was already the NFL's best team even better, as he rushed for a franchise-record 1,635 yards during the season.
Dillon ran for 144 yards last week, a big reason the Patriots were able to keep the ball out of Manning's hands in the second half.
"I think he's really going to take the pressure off Tom Brady," fullback Patrick Pass said. "I just knew he would have a good game. He's our go-to guy."
The Patriots still have other injuries, though they continue to overcome them. Cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole were joined on the sidelines last week by star defensive lineman Richard Seymour, but Tedi Brucshi forced a fumble and recovered two to key a dominant defense that prevented Manning from leading a touchdown drive after he threw an NFL-record 49 TD passes during the season.
Roethlisberger isn't the only quarterback protecting an unbeaten streak. New England's Brady is 7-0 in the postseason and has thrown at least one TD pass in five straight playoff games. The last time he didn't have one was the victory in Pittsburgh, when he was knocked out with an injury and replaced byDrew Bledsoe.
New England's seven straight playoff victories tie four teams -- including the Steelers from 1974-76 -- for second all-time. Green Bay won nine straight in the 1960s.
The two-time MVP was no problem last week. Neither was another two-time MVP in the Super Bowl three years ago.
Now all that stands between the New England Patriots and a chance to play for another title is a quarterback who nobody has been able to beat yet -- including the Patriots themselves.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hope Ben Roethlisberger is the missing piece to help them avoid another AFC Championship Game loss when they host the Patriots in a showdown between the teams with the NFL's best records.
The contest is a rematch of the AFC Championship Game following the 2001 season, when New England went into Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers 24-17. The Patriots then stunned the St. Louis Rams 20-17 to win their first of two Super Bowl titles in three years.
Those two upsets helped cement Patriots coach Bill Belichick's reputation for devising schemes to stop top quarterbacks and teams. New England had two interceptions of Kurt Warner, who won his second MVP that season, and forced the powerful Rams offense into three turnovers.
"It's a nice compliment," Belichick said of his reputation. "I don't think it really means much this week. I don't think anybody cares about that. I'm sure Pittsburgh doesn't care."
He has earned even more praise for his brilliance the last two years while leading New England to a 32-4 record, with one Super Bowl title and another one just two wins away. His teams are 4-0, including two playoff wins, over the last two seasons against Indianapolis and its quarterback Peyton Manning, who won or shared MVP honors in both years.
But just like everybody else in the NFL, he hasn't yet shown he has answers for the Steelers since Roethlisberger became their starting quarterback.
The NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year has won his first 14 starts, helping Pittsburgh to the longest winning streak in franchise history and the best record in the NFL this season.
Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes and the Steelers had 417 yards of offense when they beat the Patriots 34-20 on Oct. 31, snapping New England's NFL-record 21-game winning streak, counting playoffs.
"We didn't do hardly anything well," Belichick said. "Obviously, I did a terrible job. You get beat 34-13 or whatever it was, you don't feel very good about your job."
That win helped Pittsburgh earn home-field advantage for Sunday's game, but that hasn't mattered much in the recent past. Before their loss to the Patriots three years ago, the Steelers also lost AFC championship games at home to Denver in 1998 and San Diego in 1995. Their last Super Bowl appearance came after they beat Indianapolis in 1996.
"I think we have been prepared to play every game," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "When you go into the playoffs, you are playing quality teams and you can't turn the ball over and squander scoring opportunities. Those things have a way of staring you in the face at the end of a football game."
The Steelers seemed headed for another home playoff loss last week, but pulled out a 20-17 overtime victory over the Jets after New York kicker Doug Brien missed a pair of field goals late in regulation.
Roethlisberger looked like a rookie for one of the few times this season. He had one pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, and another interception set up the Jets with good field position before Brien's second miss.
"I did everything I could to lose the game," Roethlisberger said. "I've got to play better. That was terrible. The game we played today is not going to cut it."
That game had to remind some Pittsburgh fans of the AFC championship game loss to New England. The Jets scored a special teams and a defensive touchdown, while the Patriots scored twice on special teams in their win three years ago.
Those kinds of scores sometimes seem necessary against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked first in the NFL overall and against the run. The Steelers forced four turnovers and held the Patriots to 5 yards rushing in the regular-season meeting.
However, the Patriots didn't have an injured Corey Dillon that day. Dillon's arrival from Cincinnati helped make what was already the NFL's best team even better, as he rushed for a franchise-record 1,635 yards during the season.
Dillon ran for 144 yards last week, a big reason the Patriots were able to keep the ball out of Manning's hands in the second half.
"I think he's really going to take the pressure off Tom Brady," fullback Patrick Pass said. "I just knew he would have a good game. He's our go-to guy."
The Patriots still have other injuries, though they continue to overcome them. Cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole were joined on the sidelines last week by star defensive lineman Richard Seymour, but Tedi Brucshi forced a fumble and recovered two to key a dominant defense that prevented Manning from leading a touchdown drive after he threw an NFL-record 49 TD passes during the season.
Roethlisberger isn't the only quarterback protecting an unbeaten streak. New England's Brady is 7-0 in the postseason and has thrown at least one TD pass in five straight playoff games. The last time he didn't have one was the victory in Pittsburgh, when he was knocked out with an injury and replaced byDrew Bledsoe.
New England's seven straight playoff victories tie four teams -- including the Steelers from 1974-76 -- for second all-time. Green Bay won nine straight in the 1960s.
