For Superman, it was Kryptonite. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's the New England Patriots.
For whatever reason, the Patriots and Coach Bill Belichick has the Steelers' number. Since 2001, the Steelers are 1-5 against the Patriots and two of those losses came in the playoffs at Heinz Field.
The first happened in the 2002 AFC championship game. The Patriots came into Heinz Field as heavy underdogs behind second-year QB Tom Brady. Brady got hurt in the first half, but backup Drew Bledsoe came off the bench to lead an improbable victory. The defining moments of the game were both turned in by Troy Brown. Brown returned a punt for a touchdown and returned a blocked field-goal attempt for another score to cap off a 24-17 Patriots victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.
It was de ja vu in the 2005 AFC championship game. Earlier in the season, the Steelers routed the Patriots behind rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger. In that game, the Steelers jumped all over the Patriots, 21-3, in the first half and ended New England's two-year winning streak with a 34-20 win. So, entering the AFC title game, the 15-1 Steelers were the No. 1 seed in the AFC and were again favored to defeat New England. However, Brady hit Deion Branch on a long TD early and Roethlisberger was picked off by safety Rodney Harrison right before halftime and he returned it for a TD to give New England a 24-3 lead. Pittsburgh mounted a short comeback in the second half but Branch sealed the Pats' third Super Bowl trip in four years when he scored on a reverse to make it 41-27. The loss was extra painful for the Steelers because the team entered the postseason on a 14-game winning streak and Jerome Bettis had intended to retire after the season.
During last year's regular-season meeting at Gillette Stadium, won by New England 34-13, the Patriots picked on young safety Anthony Smith, who earlier in the week had predicted a Steelers' victory, which would have meant New England's first loss of the season. Smith was embarrased twice on long TD passes and has never fully regained his confidence since.
Today, the Steelers return to New England to exorcise some demons. The Patriots have pieced together a decent season despite the loss of Brady. Matt Cassel has posted back-to-back 400-yard passing games and has managed to keep the ball rolling. The Steelers own the No. 1 rush defense in the league so I anticipate the Patriots abandoning the run and will be throwing the ball to win. It's the same gameplan Belichick concocted in 2003 when Brady opened the game with 21 consecutive passes. This game could be the definitive game of the season for Pittsburgh and it could be the difference between 11-5 and 9-7.
