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Pats' Troy Brown had
a punt-return TD and
121 receiving yards in
New England's upset
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I wonder if all of the voters for the NFL Coach of the Year Award now wish they had
given their support to New England head coach Bill Belichick? Taking nothing away from
Chicago’s Dick Jauron, who led his team to an eight-game turnaround from last season,
but Belichick did a phenomenal job this year too.
He proved that fact Sunday as his Patriots went into Pittsburgh and emerged with the
AFC championship, winning 24-17. New England (13-5) started the year by losing its first
two games and lost starting QB Drew Bledsoe to injury. Then a funny thing happened: Backup
QB Tom Brady took charge of the team and led it to the AFC East title and 12 wins in 15
games.
Amazingly, when Brady got injured in the second quarter Sunday, Bledsoe came off the
bench and steered the team to an improbable upset victory over the top-seeded Steelers
(14-4).
The Pats deserved to win this game, outplaying the Steelers offensively, defensively
and especially on special teams.
They held Pittsburgh’s vaunted running game to 58 rushing yards and forced three
turnovers. They also got huge special-teams plays, including a punt-return touchdown by WR
Troy Brown (8-121 receiving) and a blocked field goal that led to a touchdown by CB Antwan
Harris.
They also withstood a Steelers comeback attempt and gutted out an impressive road
victory. This is New England’s first Super Bowl berth since the 1996 season.
First quarter
Is this September? What a beautiful day in Pittsburgh! It’s nearly 60 degrees and
sunny, which has got to be strange for the Patriots after playing at night in a blizzard
last week.
It sounds like the Patriots will try to throw the ball against the No. 1-rated Steelers
defense. CBs Chad Scott and Dwayne Washington are vulnerable vs. the pass, so this might
be a good idea. However, this is QB Tom Brady’s first season as a starter and
he’s just the eighth quarterback in NFL history to start a championship game in his
first year as a starter. Sounds like the Pats might be asking a little too much of their
young signalcaller.
Brady is 12-3 as a starter. Pretty impressive.
Rookie OLT Matt Light gets called for a false start on the first play of the game.
Chalk that up to nerves. Light has been a real find for the Pats and was one of the better
rookies in the NFL this season.
Well, the Pats’ first play sure fuels the fire about them throwing a lot today as
they line up with an empty backfield and five wide receivers. Brady gets sacked by DE
Aaron Smith, however. Score one for the Steelers.
Excellent call on 3rd-and-18 by New England offensive coordinator Charlie
Weis as Brady hits WR Troy Brown on a quick screen and Brown winds his way upfield for 15
yards. Although they’ll have to punt, that play has got to give the Pats some
confidence.
As I see Steelers WR Troy Edwards back to receive the first punt of the day, I’m
reminded that he fumbled twice last week against Baltimore. Luckily for the Steelers,
neither fumble was a turnover. He wasn’t alone however. The Steelers fumbled the ball
several times against the Ravens and were lucky not to lose any of them. They can’t
afford that this week. We’ll see if Pittsburgh continues to struggle with fumbling.
It’s got to be good for Steelers fans to see RB Jerome Bettis in the backfield for
the first time in seven weeks. He picks up a couple of yards on first down.
Troy Brown shows why he’s the best punt returner in the NFL as he returns a punt
25 yards, but the Pats can’t move the ball for a second straight possession.
Steelers WR Plaxico Burress draws a pass interference call on CB Otis Smith. He’s
just too big for more cornerbacks. Burress is 6-5 1/2, 240. That’s a BIG target.
Bettis looks great after catching a screen pass from Stewart and gains 12 yards for
another first down. But he looks weak running the ball twice as he loses yards twice. He
looks like his feet are shuffling, instead of bursting ahead. It could be the Pats’
defense too — it doesn’t look like there’s much running room.
Pats LB Tedy Bruschi looks great early. He’s had a tremendous season and he shows
why by getting into the backfield to tackle Bettis for a loss, then by dropping into
coverage and knocking away a pass intended for TE Jerame Tuman.
A-ha! A Steelers fumble! Stewart loses the snap from center, but luckily recovers his
fumble. There’s the first fumble of the day for the Steelers.
On 3rd-and-13, the Pats send several players on a blitz and it forces an
errant throw from Stewart. Boy, he got popped by LB Roman Pfifer and S Matt Stevens. The
Pats have shown multiple looks thus far and I expect them to do much of the same the rest
of the way in an attempt to confuse Stewart.
What an outstanding punt by Steelers P Josh Miller! He booms one deep and angled toward
the sideline and Troy Brown catches it as he’s heading toward the sideline. In fact,
by the time he catches the ball, he immediately steps out of bounds. Brilliant!
The Pats go to a no-huddle offense and Brady completes two good-looking passes to Troy
Brown.
After a great punt by P Ken Walter, Bettis again gets stuffed for a loss deep in
Steelers territory. He clearly doesn’t look like the same runner who was vying for
MVP honors before he got hurt. On the next play, Stewart drops back to pass and luckily
eludes the grasp of DE Bobby Hamilton in the endzone. That should’ve been a sack, but
Stewart got back to the two-yard line. A close call for the Steelers.
Another outstanding punt by Miller as he gets the Steelers out of trouble by booming a
punt out of bounds at the New England 25. But an illegal procedure penalty on the Steelers
forces them to re-kick. Edwards ran out of bounds on punt coverage without being pushed
out. That’s a no-no. The second punt goes up the middle of the field and is much
shorter. Troy Brown catches the ball and runs 55 yards right up the gut for a HUGE
touchdown. That is EXACTLY what the Patriots needed. It quiets the crowd. PK Adam
Vinatieri boots the PAT and it’s 7-0 with 3:42 left in the opening period.
The goat of the game right now is clearly Edwards. What a bone-headed play to run out
of bounds when he didn’t have to, negating a great punt by Miller — and it
dearly cost the Steelers when the re-kick was returned for a TD. It’ll be interesting
to see how the Steelers respond to this stunning development. The crowd has been silenced,
that’s for sure.
Stewart makes a play that only he, Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick could make. He eludes
a blitz, breaks a tackle by LB Mike Vrabel and scrambles 34 yards into New England
territory. That’s the kind of play the Steelers’ crowd was waiting for and they
explode with cheers.
Stewart hits WR Bobby Shaw for a first down, then hits TE Matt Cushing for another
first down to the Patriots 13. Stewart has connected on his last five passes. That’s
a great sign for Pittsburgh.
Second quarter
The Steelers fizzle in the red zone as they did all season long and PK Kris Brown boots
a 30-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 with 13:33 left in the period. That’s a
moral victory for the Pats’ defense, which tightened in the shadow of its own goal
line and preserved its lead. You know how strongly I feel that short field goals early end
up haunting teams later in games. We’ll see if that hurts the Steelers in this one.
Former Steelers WR Charles Johnson catches a pass from Brady for a first down.
Amazingly, it’s his first catch since Nov. 25.
Brady takes his first shot downfield and just overthrows WR David Patten at the
Steelers 10. He comes back to fire a bullet pass to Troy Brown for a 19-yard gain. It
looks like a great catch as he got popped by LB Jason Gildon. But the Steelers protest and
challenge the call. Referee Ed Hochuli overturns the call on the field, saying that Brown
never had control of the ball. What a terrible call! He clearly caught it, turned and the
ball didn’t hit the ground until after his knees and elbow hit the ground. Oh well,
the Pats have to punt.
On first down, Stewart throws deep for WR Hines Ward. Ward gets away with a little
push-off on CB Ty Law and makes a fantastic catch on back as he skids out of bounds.
It’s ruled a catch on the field, but he clearly didn’t have total control of the
ball until he was out of bounds. Belichick challenges the call and Hochuli ends up
overturning the ruling on the field. Good call. Both teams have had great catches taken
away by the replay booth. No harm, no foul.
Miller punts the ball to the sideline, avoiding any kind of return by Troy Brown. Smart
move. Think Brown will get the opportunity to return a punt again today? I don’t.
Good-looking drive by the Pats. In fact, it’s their best of the day as they move
into Steelers territory for the first time in the game. Brady stands tall in the pocket
and gets drilled as he releases the ball for a first down to Troy Brown. Antowain Smith
runs for a first down (a rare positive rush for the Pats), then Brady keeps the ball on 3rd-and-1
for another first down.
Poor decision by the Pats to try razzle-dazzle against a quick, blitzing defense. A
fake handoff and a fake reverse take way too long to develop and, while looking downfield,
Brady is sacked by LB Jason Gildon for an 11-yard loss. That’s a huge play for the
Steelers as it kills New England’s momentum.
The Pats’ defense has been outstanding and proves that once again by forcing the
Steelers into their fourth three-and-out possession of the day. Points are gonna be hard
to come by in this one and that makes Brown’s punt return so big. The offensive stats
are almost dead-even. It looks like it’ll be that way the whole game.
How is Troy Brown getting THAT wide open? He made 101 catches during the season and
he’s the Pats’ biggest threat. Yet, he has been able to continually get open in
the first half and does so again over the middle for a big gain. Uh-oh. Brady gets hit as
he throws the pass by blitzing S Lee Flowers and goes down in a heap. He got hit low and
it looks like his ankle or knee might be hurt. He limps off the field with 1:40 left in
the half after completing 12-of-18 passes for 115 yards.
Here comes Drew Bledsoe! This is his first appearance since he was hurt in Week Two.
Never could’ve predicted this storyline — who’s writing this script?
Bledsoe hits Patten for a 16-yard gain on his first play. He then scrambles for a
couple of yards and gets drilled along the sideline by CB Chad Scott. The hit is
reminiscent of the hit by the Jets’ Mo Lewis that put Bledsoe in the hospital back in
September. Bledsoe is SOOOO slow!
I’ve got to hand it to Brady though. He shows what a leader he is as he’s up
off the bench cheering Bledsoe after Bledsoe gets knocked out of bounds on the Pats’
sideline.
Bledsoe finds Patten for a first down at the Pittsburgh 11 with a minute left and then
floats a pass to the corner of the endzone to a wide-open Patten for an 11-yard TD pass.
Bledsoe was 3-for-3 on the drive for 36 yards. He took advantage of Gildon who was
overmatched trying to cover the much-quicker Patten. Vinatieri’s PAT makes it 14-3
with just under a minute left.
That was an impressive drive, going 70 yards in seven plays. I wonder how dispirited
the Steelers are after allowing the Patriots to march right down the field on them late in
the half. CBS commentator Phil Simms correctly predicts the Patriots’ ability to
exploit the Steelers on their own half of the field, noting how the Steelers are much more
of an attacking defense on their opponents’ side of midfield, but much more
conservative on their own side. That was right on the money as the Steelers don’t
blitz as much and drop back into coverage where Bledsoe picks them apart.
How good has the Pats’ defense played? They have limited the Steelers to five
total yards of offense in the second quarter prior to the final drive of the half.
Stewart appears to hit Shaw for a nice catch, but it’s ruled an incompletion on
the field. The play is reviewed and replays appear to show Shaw got his hands under the
ball before it hit the ground. But Hochuli rules that the replays were inconclusive and
allows the ruling on the field to stand. No catch. That hurts the Steelers.
Boy, Hochuli has gotten more airtime than Stewart in this half. He’s been a busy,
busy man and did a pretty good job, although in my opinion, he blew the calls on Troy
Brown and Bobby Shaw. Hey, no one’s perfect.
Stewart tries a long pass into the endzone but Burress is called for offensive pass
interference due to great coverage by CB Otis Smith. Smith would’ve picked it off if
Burress hadn’t interfered. Stewart’s final pass of the half is intercepted by CB
Terrell Buckley and a few scattered boo birds can be heard.
New England’s got to be absolutely thrilled with how things have gone in this
half. They’ve taken an 11-point lead, they’ve taken the crowd out of the game
and they’ve stifled the Steelers’ offense. Pittsburgh’s in trouble —
we’ll see what head coach Bill Cowher and his staff can come up with in the second
half. And will they get Bettis more involved? He only had five carries for three yards in
the first half.
Third quarter
This is the first time all season at Heinz Field that the Steelers have trailed at
halftime.
Stewart completes a pass to Ward for a first down, but Ward fumbles as he’s hit by
S Tebucky Jones and Bruschi, and CB Ty Law picks up the loose ball and returns it to the
Pittsburgh 15. Cowher challenges the call and after a long replay review, Hochuli
announces that Ward’s helmet hit the ground first before the ball came out. He
overturns the call and gives the Steelers the ball at their 36. That was a huge call in
the Steelers’ favor. If they had lost that one, they would’ve been dead to
rights.
On the next play, Stewart fumbles the snap from center. There are the fumble problems
coming back to haunt the Steelers again! I don’t know why he’s having trouble
with C Jeff Hartings, but he is and this may have cost the Steelers the game.
Everything’s going New England’s way, if they score a touchdown here,
they’ll be awfully tough to overcome.
Bledsoe comes out with Brady on the sideline. Got to give Bledsoe a lot of credit for
quietly biding his time this season and not complaining about losing his starting position
due to injury. The team has been winning and Bledsoe has been a model backup. Now,
he’s got his chance to shine and he came through in a big way in the first half.
Bledsoe goes for the jugular on first down, but overthrows Patten. The Pats go for it
on 4th-and-7 at the Steelers 33 but a screen pass for Troy Brown is incomplete.
We’ll see if that gives the Steelers any momentum.
Big break for the Steelers as they’re moving the ball but Stewart throws an
interception to Tebucky Jones in New England territory. However, DE Anthony Pleasant was
offsides, so the Steelers keep the ball. Maybe the breaks are starting to even out for the
Steelers now.
Stewart catches a break when LB Willie McGinest can’t hold on to an interception,
but it forces a field-goal attempt by Kris Brown.
BLOCKED! Kris Brown’s 34-yard attempt is blocked by Brandon Mitchell and Troy
Brown tracks down the loose ball, runs for 11 yards then laterals to CB Antwan Harris, who
sprints 49 yards into the endzone for a backbreaking touchdown. Are you kidding me? The
Pats are coming up with every big play and whupping the Steelers in every area of this
game, especially special teams. That’s the SECOND special-teams score for the Pats in
this game. Vinatieri boots the PAT kick and it’s 21-3 with 8:51 left in the third
quarter. The Steelers look absolutely stunned. The Pats are jumping around and brimming
with confidence. If Pittsburgh doesn’t come up with a touchdown quickly, this one is
over.
Give Mitchell a ton of credit for just overpowering the middle of the Steelers’
line. Cripes, he was so deep into the backfield, he blocked the kick a split-second after
Kris Brown’s foot booted the ball.
Well, the Steelers are marching right back the way they absolutely HAVE to do. Bettis
catches a pass out of the backfield for a good gain and RB Amos Zereoue makes a big catch
on 3rd-and-9 to keep the drive alive. He’s the Steelers’ leading
receiver on the day, which is a telling stat. The Steelers’ running game has been
absolutely woeful and the only way the Steelers are getting the ball to their running
backs is through the air. Got to give the Pats’ defense a ton of credit. Defensive
coordinator Romeo Crennel and Belichick have been brilliant so far.
Ward makes a big catch along the sideline and really dishes out some punishment to Law
with a stiff-arm. Law takes exception and gets a stupid late-hit penalty when he throws
Ward down well out of bounds. The penalty gives the Steelers a 1st-and-goal and
Bettis eventually runs it in from the one. Brown’s PAT makes it 21-10 and the
Patriots start to show some cracks as Pleasant and DT Richard Seymour start pushing each
other after the PAT kick. Wonder what that’s about? They’re ahead, for cripes
sakes.
LB John Fiala, who’s playing for the injured Earl Holmes, makes a huge hit and the
Steelers’ crowd comes to life. Bledsoe then gets sacked on the next play by Gildon,
and the crowd explodes. Momentum is clearly on the Steelers’ side now.
Edwards comes up with a big special-teams play for Pittsburgh as he zigzags across the
field for 29 yards to the NE 32. That’s the Steelers’ first big play on special
teams and they needed it.
Burress catches a pass for a first down and Zereoue runs 11 yards up the middle for a
touchdown. Kris Brown’s PAT makes it 21-17 with 1:29 left in the quarter. The
Steelers are rolling now and the Pats’ defense looks exhausted. It has been on the
field for more than 10 minutes of the third quarter and the players are acting like it.
With Patriots reeling, Bledsoe hits Charles Johnson for a first down then connects with
Troy Brown for a first down as the period ends.
Fourth quarter
Antowain Smith bursts off tackle for six yards, his best run of the day, to the
Pittsburgh 38. A rare good run by the Patriots.
On third down, Bledsoe gets hit by a blitzing Steeler and hits FB Marc Edwards in the
flat for a first down. What a gutsy play by Bledsoe to stand in there and deliver a
perfect pass. I wonder if the Chicago Bears are watching Bledsoe’s performance in
this game? The Bears have been rumored to be interested in Bledsoe and he’s showing
them something in this game.
Bledsoe hits WR Fred Coleman for a first down but the pass is called incomplete on the
field. Belichick challenges the call, but the replays are inconclusive and the Pats must
settle for a field goal. That’s the fourth challenge of the game, meaning both
coaches are out of coaches’ challenges. It’s been a hotly contested game —
lots of controversial or close calls.
Vinatieri, who booted a clutch 45-yard field goal in the snow last week to send the
Pats’ game against the Raiders into overtime, comes through big-time once again as he
kicks a 44-yarder to boost New England’s lead to 24-17 with 11:12 left. What a great
resource for a coach to have a kicker like Vinatieri who thrives when the pressure’s
on. He hasn’t been affected at all by the tough kicking conditions in Heinz Field.
Impressive.
What a big score for the Pats! It shows a lot to come right back and score after losing
so much momentum.
The Pats’ defense rises up and forces a punt. New England gets pinned back at its
own nine and the crowd comes alive. Bledsoe tries Patten deep downfield and has him open
but Dwayne Washington just gets a piece of the ball and Patten bobbles it before the ball
falls to the ground incomplete. If Patten had caught that, he was gone.
Bledsoe stands in and connects with TE Jermaine Wiggins for a big third-down
conversion. Bledsoe has looked great, hasn’t he?
OHHH! Steelers LB Joey Porter gets a gift handed to him by Bledsoe but can’t hang
on to a sure interception. He was all alone and would’ve walked into the endzone, but
he dropped it. That could cost the Steelers.
Another third down and Bledsoe comes up big once again, lofting a perfect pass to Troy
Brown for a first down. He saw Brown had run away from LB Mike Jones and floated a pass to
him along the sideline. Perfect play. Don’t you agree Bears general manager Jerry
Angelo?
Those two third-down conversions are so big since the clock continues to run and the
field-position battle tilts back toward the Patriots. The Pats have been the better team
today and are looking like it right now.
After New England is finally halted, they punt and Stewart takes over with 4:21 left.
He completes a pass to Burress, then gets intercepted when he overthrows Ward. Tebucky
Jones made the interception and returned it into Steelers territory. That was
Stewart’s worst pass of the game. It was also the Steelers’ third turnover of
the game. New England has zero.
Vinatieri tries a 50-yard field goal with 2:15 left and it just misses wide left —
a great kick, it was plenty long, but just stayed outside the upright.
Stewart throws his second interception of the game when his pass toward Burress goes
way over Burress’ head and S Lawyer Milloy makes the gift interception. A terrible,
terrible throw by Stewart. He ends up 24-of-42 for 255 yards (a career playoff-best
total).
Amazingly, the Patriots will advance to the Super Bowl. |
