The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to New England in what was a battle that came down to the last seconds. We take a look at three things we learned from Week 15.
It was the game that should have put the Pittsburgh Steelers in the driver’s seat for the remaining weeks of the season. A rivalry that warrants the same amount of respect and animosity on both sides provided one of the most entertaining, yet controversial, games of the season, and perhaps for a long time coming.
The energy in Pittsburgh could only be described with one word: Different. For what feels like since the dawn of the new millennium, the Patriots have not only had the Steelers number, but prank called often. It’s well documented the success Tom Brady has had against Pittsburgh, yet Sunday felt different.
With a downpour of rain, Ryan Shazier in the audience and an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the AFC, the Steelers were able to not only keep up with the defending Super Bowl champions, but hold a lead over them into the later parts of the contest, despite losing Antonio Brown to a calf injury in the early stages of the game. Momentum continually shifted back and forth, and per every movie script ever written, Brady was able to guide his team to a late touchdown to take the lead.
The air was sucked right out of Heinz Field from that “here we go again” feeling against that particular team from Boston, only to be rejuvenated by a JuJu Smith-Schuster catch and run that would bring the ball all the way down to the Patriots 10-yard line. The next play will forever live in the memory of Steelers fans, as Jesse James caught a ball short of the goal line and extended his arms in what was originally ruled a touchdown — only to be reviewed and overturned as it was deemed James did not complete the process of a catch.
With a short pass ensuing after the review, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger attempted to fake a spike and throw a ball that was eventually tipped and intercepted, ending the game after being in position to tie things up with a simple swing of the leg by Chris Boswell.
The taste remains sour, but the Steelers have no time to cling on to what cannot be changed. The team now looks forward to a meeting with the Houston Texans on Christmas day, yet you can learn a great deal from a loss late in the season before a playoff run. What did we takeaway from Week 15’s loss?