Bill Belichick knew how to break the Steelers’ hearts. Mine, at least. Twice, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the AFC Championship Game, one win shy of a Super Bowl, against the New England Patriots. And twice, the Steelers and their fans left dejected as the Patriots busted out the T-shirts and hats that declared them AFC champs and headed to the big game. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Monday, Belichick talked the difficulty of hosting a conference championship game and how the road team has a bigger advantage than fans might think.
“I’m not saying I’d rather play it on the road,” Belichick told the show. “I’m saying you gotta really have the right mentality to play that game at home. And if your opponent’s coming in with one of those who’s a good team with a lot of confidence saying, ‘I don’t care if we’re in your stadium or not, we’re just gonna ruin your party.’ And they had that tough, hard-nosed attitude like I felt like we had going into Pittsburgh twice.”
Belichick’s Patriots first came topped the Steelers in 2001, the early days of the Tom Brady era and his second career playoff start. His game was interrupted by injury, Brady replaced by Drew Bledsoe to finish the rest of the game. No matter who was under center, the Patriots found a way to move the ball, building a 24-3 lead and holding off a Steelers comeback. Special teams defined that day, New England scoring on a punt return touchdown (thanks to a Troy Edwards penalty that forced a re-kick) and blocked field goal returned for a score.
As he explained, Belichick said hosting these games are difficult because of the pressure to win. The city feeling like you’re already in the Super Bowl before the game even starts and facing a quality team that has won a couple playoff games and is playing with house money.
“You can win on the road in the championship games,” Belichick said. “You really can. You just gotta have the right mentality.”
New England then spoiled Pittsburgh’s storybook season in 2004. Going 15-1 in QB Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie season, Big Ben suffered his first loss (in a game he started) to the hands of the Patriots. The team came crashing down to Earth in a 41-27 defeat. Roethlisberger was intercepted three times, including an 87-yard pick-six by S Rodney Harrison that had the game wrapped up by halftime.
Still today, Steelers players have accused the Patriots of cheating and knowing Pittsburgh’s calls and signs, a story that would become front and center during Spygate in 2007.
Belichick showed his Patriots could also win at home. They beat Pittsburgh in the 2016 AFC title game, using trick plays and beating up on an injured Steelers offense in a comfortable victory.
In Steelers’ history, they’re 8-8 in conference title games. Eleven of those 16 have been at home, Pittsburgh 6-5 in those games. In their five road games, they’re 2-3. So there is homefield advantage, though the gap isn’t wide, and Belichick’s point is understood.
