On August 12, 2004, a day before the Steelers' first preseason game, Charlie Batch got bad news. The arthroscopic surgery that was supposed to repair a bothersome left knee revealed more severe damage, and the veteran quarterback was placed on injured reserve. The Steelers had signed Kurt Kittner, a third-year veteran who had seen some action for Atlanta, as a camp arm when Batch became unavailable. The other three quarterbacks were starter Tommy Maddox, 2003 fifth-round pick Brian St. Pierre and 2004 first-round choice Ben Roethlisberger. Kittner didn't get into an exhibition game and was cut after the last one, so Pittsburgh went into the season with only one QB (Maddox) who had taken a snap in a real NFL game. St. Pierre started the season on the practice squad.
The Steelers beat Oakland in the opener, 24-21. Pittsburgh took a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Raiders tied it with five minutes left. Maddox drove the Steelers back down, and Jeff Reed kicked the winning 42-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. The most memorable thing about the game was probably Jerome Bettis' statistical line. Bill Cowher was using Duce Staley as his feature back, and Bettis as a short-yardage specialist. In this game, The Bus carried 5 times for 1 yard and 3 touchdowns.
The next game was in Baltimore. The Ravens won, 30-13, but the big news was that on a sack by Gary Baxter during the second half's first drive, Maddox hurt his right elbow. Roethlisberger came in and completed 12 of 20 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Chris McAlister returned a pick 51 yards for the game's final points.
In the next day's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, columnist Ron Cook said, "The Steelers' season is finished."
Maddox suffered "slight tears of some ligaments and tendons in his elbow that will not require surgery," according to the PG's Ed Bouchette. But he would miss at least six weeks. Cowher called Neil O'Donnell to see if he wanted to come out of retirement, but O'Donnell turned him down. St. Pierre was put on the active roster.
And guard Alan Faneca, when asked if it was exciting to see a rookie play quarterback, famously answered, "Exciting? No, it's not exciting. Do you want to go work with some little young kid who's just out of college?"
Roethlisberger's first start was in Miami, in a game that was pushed from day to night by the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne. The Steelers won a game that was as sloppy as the conditions, 13-3. Ben completed 12 of 22 for 163 yards. He threw one interception, and completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to a diving Hines Ward.
The next two games were at home. First, the Steelers scored two fourth quarter TDs to beat the Bengals, 28-17, with Troy Polamalu intercepting Carson Palmer, returning the ball 26 yards, and running over his old college roommate to score the clinching touchdown. Then they beat the Browns, 34-23. Roethlisberger threw for 405 yards in the two games, with three touchdowns and one interception; he also ran for another score.
The Steelers then went to Dallas. The Cowboys took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Tight end Jerame Tuman caught a 7-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth, then, after Vinny Testaverde lost a fumble with 2:38 to go and Kimo von Oelhoffen returned it to the Dallas 24, Bettis scored a 2-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left to win it for Pittsburgh, 24-20. Roethlisberger was 21 of 25 for 193 yards with no interceptions and two touchdowns.
That brought the Steelers to their bye week at 5-1. On October 24, as Pittsburgh enjoyed its weekend off, the Patriots beat the Jets, 13-7, to set NFL records for consecutive regular season wins with 18, and overall consecutive wins with 21. After the Browns scored the tying touchdown with 30 seconds left in regulation, Philadelphia pulled out a 34-31 overtime win in Cleveland to also get to 6-0. That meant that if the Eagles could beat the Ravens in Philly, the next two visitors at Heinz Field would come in undefeated.
The Steelers said the right things when asked about New England's streak. Linebacker James Farrior told Bouchette, "No, we're not worried about history, we're just worried about winning this game. That's all it is, one game in our season. It's a big game, and it will turn a lot of heads if we do well in this game."
Bettis took a different approach. "I think everybody would be lying if they said it was just another game. It's not. To get to where you want to go, you've got to go through these guys."
And, at their coach's behest, New England's pre-game notes treated the streak this way: "The Patriots have recorded a one-game winning streak 21 consecutive times, setting an all-time record for the 85-year history of pro football."
Maddox started throwing again during the week, although it was clear that the starting job wasn't waiting for him.
Cook looked at the importance of the game for Roethlisberger and the Steelers:
"[Roethlisberger said,] 'They tell me that [Bill Belichick] throws more at you than anybody out there.'
"That's why this game is so fascinating. Forget that a win would legitimize the Steelers. You can't mention their 5-1 record without pointing out their victories came against teams with a combined 9-23 record. A strong performance would legitimize Roethlisberger. It's not that a poor one will mean he is going to be a bad quarterback. We've seen enough in four games to know that won't be the case. But think what it will mean if he has the answers for all of the problems Belichick creates. Think how that could fast-track his career."
(A Monday night win for Cincinnati moved that combined record to 10-23.)
F. Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter quoted Belichick on his history with Cowher. When Belichick became the Giants' defensive coordinator, and Cowher took the same job in Kansas City:
"We spent a full day together, like a Saturday, and I told him everything I knew about linebacker play, so that took about a half-hour. Then Bill told me everything he knew about secondary play and that took a long time. We exchanged a lot because our positions, though we were both coordinators, as position coaches we had different spots there, so we really worked together. I think that was the start of, what I think is, a really good relationship."
Cowher evaluated his team's early season. "A lot of what we have done to this point has been us not beating ourselves. Being physical, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and having solid special teams will give you a chance to win a lot of football games. I would like to think it is a very solid identity to have if we could continue that."
Cowher went 7-2 against Belichick's Browns teams, but lost his first two games to the Patriots after Belichick moved to Foxboro.
Aliquippa's Ty Law talked about some of his coach's motivational ploys, including cartoons.
"I've been the part of the Roadrunner, which took me a while, but I got it," the cornerback said, laughing. "You never know what tricks coach Belichick is going to pull.
"He's always trying to come up with things to stop somebody -- but his usually work. He plans out a little better than the coyote."
Some of those plans involved a defense that switched fluidly between a 4-3 and 3-4. As Faneca told Lolley, "You get so trained of seeing a guy with his hand in the dirt or not seeing a guy with his hand in the dirt and the next thing you know, you're up at the line of scrimmage counting people. You're saying, 'OK, that guy is a linebacker. We're going to count that guy as a defensive lineman.' It just makes you go through more of a thought process before every snap."
And, of course, the rookie quarterback would have to figure all that out. "Ben's started four games, so he's got all of that experience," joked Cowher. "I'm sure there will be something [different] he'll see. They do a good job. They'll give us some things we have to adjust to. We just have to play our game."
And, on October 31, in front of 64,737 fans, the largest crowd to see a professional football game in Pittsburgh, the Steelers played their game. New England was favored by 3.
Pittsburgh received the opening kickoff, and went three-and-out. Kevin Faulk returned Chris Gardocki's punt to the New England 35. Tom Brady completed his first three passes, and with the help of a face mask call on Polamalu, the Patriots got the ball to the Pittsburgh 24. Faulk's first-down run was stopped for a 1-yard loss. (New England's starting running back, Corey Dillon, was out with a knee injury.) After two incompletions, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 43-yard field goal. This was the 15th straight game where the Patriots scored first.
After the kickoff, the Steelers once again went three-and-out. After the punt, Faulk ran for 1 yard on first down. A short pass and an incompletion brought in Josh Miller, who punted inside the 5, but Dexter Reid knocked the ball into the end zone for a touchback.
Pittsburgh picked up its first first down on a pass to Verron Haynes. On their next first down, Law went off for the Patriots with an injured left foot, and Randall Gay replaced him. The Steelers came out with two backs and two tight ends and handed off to Staley, who picked up 4. On the next play, with two receivers, Ben had Plaxico Burress one-on-one with Gay on the left side, and hit him for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:46 left in the first quarter. It was the first passing touchdown New England had given up in their opponents' last 120 attempts. "You couldn't ask for a better [throw]," said Burress.
After the kickoff was returned to the Patriot 29, Brady went back to pass. Joey Porter knocked the ball out of Brady's hand as Chris Hoke, making his first start at nose tackle for an injured Casey Hampton, hit the quarterback low. von Oelhoffen recovered at the 27. After four Staley runs got the ball to the 4, Roethlisberger hit Burress with a fade for a touchdown that survived a challenge. Reed kicked another extra point to make the score 14-3.
The throw was to the left sideline in the middle of the end zone. "It's like I told Ben, for the past four years that I've been here it's always been a throw where they wanted to go for the pylon. ... It almost has to be a perfect throw."
Burress continued, "I said just throw it up there and put some air under it and give me some time to set my feet and jump, man. He gave me the ball in a place where I could make a play."
The next kickoff was returned to the 33. Once again, Brady went back to pass, and he threw to Bethel Johnson on his left. But Deshea Townsend intercepted and ran the ball back for a 39-yard touchdown. Reed made the extra point.
"The best coverage is a pass rush," Townsend said.
After the next kickoff, the Patriots were flagged for a false start. Faulk lost 2 yards on a carry, and the first quarter ended with the score 21-3, and the Pats facing 2nd-and-17 from their own 24.
The second started with a Porter sack, a short pass and a punt. The Steelers picked up one first down before punting the ball back, with the Patriots starting at their own 13.
Cedric Cobbs' first NFL carry went for 1 yard. On third down, Brady hit David Givens for a first down. After a false start and two incompletions, Brady threw a long pass to Johnson. Ike Taylor went up over him and grabbed it for his first career interception, 54 yards downfield.
Starting at the 20, and with the help of two New England personal fouls (roughing the passer and face mask), the Steelers drove down to the Patriot 1 before Reed kicked a 19-yard field goal with 2:06 left in the half.
As Johnson returned the kickoff down the sideline past the 40, Polamalu stripped the ball. It landed out of bounds, and the Patriots started at their own 44 with 1:58 left. Brady completed 5 of his 7 passes, the last a 2-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Givens. Vinatieri made it 24-10 with 46 seconds left.
Antwaan Randle El returned the kickoff to the Steeler 38. Pittsburgh got as close as the New England 32, but a holding penalty on Jeff Hartings pushed the Steelers out of field goal range, and Roethlisberger's Hail Mary on the last play was broken up.
The halftime score was Pittsburgh 24, New England 10. The Steelers outgained the Pats, 245-100, and led in time of possession, 20:38 to 9:22.
Reed kicked off to start the second half, and Johnson returned the ball to his own 24. On the first play, Brady hit Faulk with a short pass. Porter forced a fumble, which Aaron Smith recovered, then dove to the 17. Gay broke up a pass to Ward in the end zone, then Roethlisberger completed two passes to get the ball to the 2-yard line. Bettis came in and picked up the last 2 yards to bring the lead back to 21.
After returning the kickoff to the 34, the Patriots threw 10 passes. They completed five and got to the Pittsburgh 7 before Vinatieri kicked a 25-yard field goal. The drive took 2:25 off the clock.
On the next kickoff, the Steelers got the ball at their 28. Staley ran, there was a quick pass to Ward for 11 yards, then five more Staley runs. Bettis came in at running back and ran for the next five plays. On 3rd-and-8 at the Patriot 11, Roethlisberger missed Burress in the end zone. Reed kicked a 29-yard field goal. The drive took 8:34 off the clock.
Reed's kickoff went out of bounds, giving New England the ball at the 40. Two passes got the ball to the Pittsburgh 46, but a holding penalty moved the ball back across midfield. After six pass plays, including the penalty and Porter's third sack, Miller punted the ball away on 4th-and-27.
Staley was back in to finish the third quarter. He ran for 10 yards, and the quarter ended with the Steelers leading, 34-13.
Duce picked up another 10 on the first play of the fourth, and his day was done. Bettis came in, although the Steelers used Haynes on third downs. The drive ended being six runs, one of which was Roethlisberger picking up a yard after going back to pass, and one 4-yard shovel pass to Haynes. Gardocki punted, and Pittsburgh had taken more than five minutes off the clock.
The Patriots started on their 14. Brady passed to Faulk for 13 yards. Faulk ran for 4. The next six plays (not counting a Rabih Abdullah run that was called back on a penalty) were pass attempts, including a Smith sack. With the ball at the Pittsburgh 25, Faulk ran for 2. On the next play, Brady hit Givens running through the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown with 6:39 left to play.
After the Steelers returned the kickoff to the 30, it was time to Ride The Bus. Bettis ran four times, picking up one first down. Haynes came in and ran for another first down. After a Patriot timeout, Roethlisberger threw to Dan Kreider for 13 yards. Then Bettis came back in and ran for no gain; New England called their second timeout. Then Bettis found a hole and ran for 29 yards to the Patriots 8. The clock ran down to 2:00, and Ben knelt three times to seal the win.
The final score was 34-20. The Steelers ran for 221 yards, including 25 rushes for 125 for Staley and 15 for 65 for Bettis, while the Patriots had six carries for 5 yards. (Alert readers will have noticed that all six rushes were mentioned above.) Belichick explained, "We tried to run the ball early and gained nothing."
Roethlisberger completed 18 of 24 passes for 196 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while Brady was 25-43-271, with two interceptions and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh outgained New England, 417-248, and time of possession was 42:58-17:02. The Pats turned the ball over four times, to none for the Steelers.
Cowher said what you'd expect: "We have not accomplished anything." Roethlisberger said, "Let's take it one game at a time. Let's not get too excited."
Some Steelers were pretty excited.
"We were the better team today," Ward said. "We can play with anybody. Right now, Ben's doing a great job. He shows no rattle and a lot of poise in the huddle."
It was Burress who said, "I don't think anybody outside this locker room believed we could go out and beat these guys."
And Porter proclaimed, "The whole time people said we haven't played anybody. We got a rookie quarterback who has been playing tremendous. But, as much as we were winning, people were finding a way to still shoot us down." Porter's eight tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
"We got killed," growled Belichick. "We didn't do anything right ... They certainly deserved to win, and they won convincingly."
He added, "It was pretty clear out there that the Steelers were the better team. They outcoached us, and they outplayed us."
The coach refused to use injuries as an excuse. "We had problems everywhere, not just where we had injuries."
Brady still managed to have a smile on his face when he met the media. "The team is disappointed, as everyone would expect. But I don't think we're demoralized. We'll look at it as what it is. It's a loss, but it's only one game."
He added, "We got behind to a very good team. We were tough on ourselves. We just dug ourselves a big ditch, and we couldn't fight our way out of it."
(You can watch the Patriots game here. Sadly, I didn't find the Eagles game.)
The Eagles beat the Ravens, 15-10, so a second undefeated opponent would come into Pittsburgh. Staley's first reaction about meeting his former team was, "I'll deal with that when it's time. I'm dealing with this right now. It's a great win, and I'm enjoying it."
At his Tuesday press conference, Cowher announced that Maddox was close to returning, but Roethlisberger would remain the starter. "I've talked to both Tommy and Ben. At whatever point Tommy does come back healthy, there will be no change made at quarterback. I think they both understand, and we're ready to move on with that being the case."
"Tommy's been great to me and I know he'll continue to help me out in every way," said Roethlisberger. "He's the first guy I look for when I come off the field because he's seen this all and knows what's going on."
"I think you're always disappointed, but at the same time you understand it," said Maddox. "I'm in it for all these guys. I want us to do well and be a great team and go as far as we can."
Dan Marino came to town to interview Roethlisberger for Inside the NFL. He was very complimentary about the rookie, including saying that "you can tell he has a shot to be a good player for a long time."
"It is much more than just me," Ben said. "Obviously, we have a great team offensively and defensively. We are out there playing together. We are playing unselfish football right now. People are making plays all over the field. Guys have helped me out a tremendous amount. I can't say enough for what they have done for me."
Even as Staley was being the subject of coverage as his current team prepared to face the one he'd been with for seven years, he missed Wednesday's practice with a sore knee, although he was listed as probable. He was back at practice Thursday.
"There's no hard feelings," Staley said. "If it was something personal, I think I would be showing my teammates that I would rather be over there instead of being here. So if I go out with an attitude, they would look at it like, 'Duce wishes he was still over there.' That's not the case."
"He's not a big-name guy, but he continues to put up big-name numbers every time he's on the field.," said Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb of his former teammate.
The next day's story was Terrell Owens. He was coming into Pittsburgh with five straight 100-yard receiving games. "He's made everybody on their offense better," Townsend told Lolley. "There's no doubt he's going to be a big challenge for us."
"And, oh, yeah, Owens likes to showboat more than anyone in the league," wrote Lolley.
"I love the things he does," Burress said of Owens' touchdown celebrations. "He's creative. It's almost to the point you want to see what he's going to do next."
"I'm wondering myself," Ward added. "He must really spend a lot of time thinking those up."
The defense took a different approach.
"If you don't want to see it, don't let him score," suggested Farrior.
"He can't dance if he can't get in the end zone," said safety Chris Hope. "It's our job to keep him out."
Owens, of course, had his own view. "There's a lot of complaining about me, but it's because I'm the best in the league. If I was on your team, it would be different. It's just for the fact that I'm here and not there."
Staley sustained a hamstring injury in Friday's practice and was downgraded to questionable Saturday. On Sunday, he was inactive.
Once again, the Steelers set an attendance record, this time with 64,975. The Eagles were favored by 1 1/2.
The Eagles kicked off and got a touchback. With one complete pass, one incomplete pass, a sack, five Bettis runs, one Haynes run and a Roethlisberger run, the Steelers had 1st-and-10 on the Eagle 16. Ward ran around left end, and leapt over a Faneca block on Brian Dawkins for the touchdown, then imitated Owens' touchdown dance in the end zone. Reed's extra point made it 7-0.
Reed's kickoff was also a touchback. After McNabb completed two short passes, he was sacked by Larry Foote, and Philadelphia punted.
Starting at their own 36, Pittsburgh took eight plays to get to the Eagle 20. On 3rd-and-4, Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Ward, who once again imitated Owens. The kick was good, and the Steelers led 14-0 with 2:33 left in the first.
"I spoke to him before the game," Ward said of Owens. "He is the best wide receiver in the game. I wasn't trying to show him up. I see him having fun when he's doing it. What better way to do it while he's out there?"
For his part, Owens was okay with the imitations. "It was fine. Hey, this is a free world. He can do whatever he wants to. I wish I could have been on the receiving end of some of that. It's going to be like that. I wasn't going to be upset with it."
The Eagles had another three-and-out, and punted. Pittsburgh started at their own 38, and got to the Philadelphia 49 as the quarter ended. Another six plays got the ball to the Philadelphia 2, where Ben hit tight end Jay Riemersma with a 2-yard touchdown pass. The conversion made it 21-0.
Reed's kickoff went out of bounds. Starting at the 40, McNabb's pass to L.J. Smith finally picked up the Eagles' first first down, five minutes into the second quarter. The eight-play drive stalled at the Steeler 15 when a pass to Owens only gained 3. David Akers kicked a 33-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-3.
After the kickoff, the Steelers started at the 23. They got to the 45, then Roethlisberger's long pass for Burress was intercepted by Dawkins and returned to the Eagle 39.
Despite two 4-yard passes to Owens, Philadelphia went three-and-out. The punt left Pittsburgh at its own 16 with 1:03 left in the half, and two Bettis runs picked up 9 yards as the half ended.
The Steelers led, 21-3.
At halftime, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game, 34 members of the Super Bowl XIV champions were introduced. Also, Myron Cope, who had fallen at home Saturday and cut his head, was taken to the hospital at the half.
The Eagles returned the second-half kickoff to their own 32. They couldn't cross midfield, though, and punted down to the Pittsburgh 8. The Steelers put together a 9-play drive. With the ball on the Pittsburgh 32, Roethlisberger threw a long pass to Burress at the 50. Plaxico had cornerback Lito Sheppard badly beaten, but carried the ball sloppily and knocked it out of his own hand at the 36. He recovered, but ran out of bounds at the Philadelphia 21. Two Bettis runs and an incompletion left Pittsburgh at the 15, but Reed missed a 33-yard field goal.
"I just got excited," explained Burress. "I saw the goal line and I was ready to run and I left the ball."
Starting at his own 23, McNabb passed for three first downs. Two were passes to Owens of 13 and 20 yards. With 1st-and-10 at the Steeler 23, McNabb's short pass to Dorsey Levens was intercepted by Farrior and returned to the Eagle 38.
From there, with the help of an offside penalty on 4th-and-3 on the 31, Pittsburgh got to the 24 and Reed nailed a 42-yard field goal. With 2:41 left in the third, they led, 24-3.
After a touchback, and despite a 4-yard pass to Owens, the Eagles went three-and-out. Haynes returned the punt 5 yards to the Philadelphia 43, but after a 2-yard run by Bettis, Roethlisberger fumbled the ball back to the Eagles at the 47.
A 3-yard loss for Brian Westbrook ended the quarter with the Steelers leading, 24-3.
An incompletion and a Willie Williams sack made for another three-and-out. The punt left the ball at the Pittsburgh 24.
Bettis ran four times, Haynes three and Randle El once. With 3rd-and-11 at the Eagle 19, Roethlisberger went to Randle El for 6 yards, and Reed kicked a 31-yard field goal. The drive took 6:19 off the clock.
Roderick Hood returned a short kickoff 45 yards to the Steeler 43. Even with a 5-yard completion to Owens, the Eagles had 4th-and-11 at the 44, and McNabb threw incomplete to Owens.
So, with 6:44 left the Steelers took over on their own 44. Bettis ran for 4 yards, then was lifted for Haynes. He ran three times for 11 yards, then was replaced by Willie Parker, who saw his first NFL action. Parker ran three times for 14 yards. Haynes came back in and ran for 3 yards on 3rd-and-6. With a 4th-and-3 at the Eagle 24, Roethlisberger hit tight end Matt Cushing for 17 yards. With the ball on the 7 and 2:48 left, Ben knelt for 4 plays, giving Philadelphia the ball with 35 seconds left. A Travis Kirschke false start and a Reno Mahe 2-yard run ended the game.
The final score was Pittsburgh 27, Philadelphia 3. The Steelers, who never punted, outgained the Eagles 420-113. Rushing was 26 carries for 252 yards to 9 for 23. Pittsburgh turned the ball over twice, to Philadelphia's once. The Steelers led time of possession, 41:49-18:11.
Roethlisberger tied Mike Kruczek for the most consecutive wins by a starting quarterback to begin a career with six. Kruczek never threw a touchdown pass in any of those games, nor in has career.
Bettis carried 33 times for 149 yards. Roethlisberger completed 11 of 18 for 183 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. McNabb was 15 of 24 for 109 yards and one interception. Owens caught seven balls for 53 yards.
"That's a good football team," Cowher said. "We're not that much better than them. We just got the momentum and we rode it."
Eagles coach Andy Reid was impressed. "They beat us up in every phase of the game. Starting with the coaches, then to the offense, the defense and then to our special teams. They were the better team today, and they deserve the credit."
"I'm still here for a reason," Bettis said.
"They don't pay people to just sit around. They pay people to produce. The opportunity isn't there because Duce is a great running back. The role for me is to be a relief guy and I understand that. It was just a matter of me going out and shopwing the people on the outside that The Bus is still here."
Staley said, "Of course I wanted to be out there, but my teammates went out and handled business. They had to tell me basically, [he could not play] because I was going out there. The trainers and coaches were smart about it."
McNabb explained the loss this way: "They took away the deep ball; they banked on not giving up the big play. There were too many miscommunications leading to too many mistakes all day. We were not able to get any rhythm. It was just a great performance on their part. Things are rolling well for them."
"We enjoy playing in front of these fans," Cowher said. "These crowds the last two weeks have been like a playoff atmosphere."
Mel Blount said, "The Steelers have the town excited again."
Bob Smizik agreed in the Post-Gazette: "The town is talking Super Bowl in February. The team is talking Cleveland on Sunday. ... Both sides are correct in their approach."
He added, "There's not a soul around with a touch of reality in his bones that expected the Steelers to do what they'd done. They were coming off a close, late win against an ordinary Dallas team when they took a week off before facing the Patriots and Eagles. Two wins were were out of the question, one a possibility. Two routs, which is what has happened, is beyond the realm of comprehension."
The Steelers ended up 15-1 in 2004. Roethlisberger was 13-0 as a starter; Maddox started the last game in Buffalo and St. Pierre handed off a lot in the fourth quarter as Steeler backups knocked the Bills out of the playoffs, 29-24.
In the playoffs, Pittsburgh defeated the Jets in overtime, 20-17, then lost the AFC Championship to New England on a miserably cold night, 41-27. The Patriots beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
In 2005, the Steelers won their first two games. Their third, which would have tied the Patriots' record with 18 consecutive regular season wins, was against New England at Heinz Field. In an exciting game, Roethlisberger drove the Steelers to a tying touchdown with 1:21 left, but Brady put the Pats in position for Vinatieri to kick a 43-yard field goal with one second left for a 23-20 win. Pittsburgh did go on to win its first Super Bowl in 26 years.
And that victory in Detroit might have made Steeler fans as happy as the back-to-back wins over undefeated teams.
(All quotes are from the original coverage.)
