With it being Halloween, how about a throwback memory to liven up the spirits of Steelers’ faithful?
The Steelers are currently spending Halloween at practice, preparing to battle the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night in what could shake up to be a pivotal game for positioning in the AFC playoff standings. However, 19 years ago, the Steelers were able to spook their hated AFC rival New England Patriots, snapping their 21-game winning streak with a 34-20 win in Pittsburgh on Halloween Sunday.
QB Ben Roethlisberger was in his rookie season, starting his fifth NFL game. The Steelers had won four-straight games heading into their matchup with the Patriots while QB Tom Brady had New England running on all cylinders, having won 21-straight games, the longest streak in NFL history. The Patriots got on the board first with a field goal, but then the Steelers came out hot, jumping to a 24-3 lead in the second quarter. Roethlisberger connected with WR Plaxico Burress for two touchdowns on back-to-back drives, the first covering 47 yards and the second four yards. The defense got involved in the scoring action as CB Deshea Townsend picked off Brady and took it to the house for a 39-yard interception return for touchdown, giving Pittsburgh a sizeable lead and all the momentum at Heinz Field.
Brady managed to connect with WR David Givens for a touchdown to make the score 24-10 before the half, but Pittsburgh answered back with a RB Duce Staley touchdown in the third quarter after Patriots RB Kevin Faulk fumbled the ball away. The Steelers and Patriots would go on to exchange field goals, making the score 34-13. Brady would find Givens again for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter but was unable to complete a comeback as Pittsburgh won by two touchdowns.
It was a monumental win for the Steelers, upsetting their long-time nemesis and ending their impressive streak in Pittsburgh on Halloween night. The Steelers managed to get quite the treat as they would go on to win 14 straight games (15 overall) with Roethlisberger as their starting quarterback, only to fall to the Patriots in a rematch in the AFC Championship Game. New England would go on to win the Super Bowl, but the teams’ matchup in 2004 sparked a long-term rivalry between the Steelers and Patriots. It would last nearly the next 15 years as Roethlisberger and Brady as well as Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick became key figures in the clash of AFC powerhouses. Still, yinz can celebrate today despite the current state of this team, looking back at reminiscing the Steelers getting a win against the Bogeyman himself: Tom Brady.
