The toughest Steeler loss to the Patriots: Jan. 27, 2002



… cost them chance for "one for the thumb" 

This one was gut-wrenching. When you lose to a team that is a 9.5 point underdog in the AFC title game -- at home -- it has to hurt.

And the Steeler 24-17 loss to a much-weaker New England Patriot team that cold January day was disgusting. It came from some very poor coaching pre-game and some horrible execution in the game itself.

Steeler fans today will point to the terrible play by their team on special teams that day. That would be right.

Bill who?

That would be only part of the story. The Steelers were cocky. This Patriot team was led by a little-regarded coach by the name of Bill Bellichick. He was a joke in Pittsburgh because of his unimpressive 36-44 stint in Cleveland from 1991-95. They had only one winning season, a good 11-5 effort in 1994, followed by a 5-11 record the following year.

In short, Bellichick was just another journeyman coach when he brought his team to Heinz Field for the 2001 AFC Championship game.

Cowher's discipline problem

Bill Cowher, like his successor with the Steelers, likes to call himself a "player's coach." Over the years, he was burned by that philosophy.

The lead-in to the game was an example of that. Instead of telling his players to keep their mouths shut, like Chuck Noll used to advise his veterans, Cowher allowed his team to go on national and local TV with some kid of rap video about making it to the Super Bowl.

Just plain dumb, one of the reasons that he won only one of five AFC championship games at home during his tenure.

Game itself

This win does not belong to then rookie Tom Brady, who had taken over earlier in the season for Drew Bledsoe after the veteran was injured.

In this game, Brady injured his knee, and Bledsoe came on to lead the team to a 24-17 victory.

However, special teams -- not the Patriot offense -- made the difference.

Lack of preparation

The Steelers were not sharp, again a reflection on their preparation for the game. A mental mistake -- along with poor execution -- allowed the Pats to score their first touchdown.

After a Josh Miller punt apparently put the Pats back in their own territory, a flag was thrown. Troy Edwards of the Steelers stepped out of bounds, illegal procedure, and Miller had to re-kick.

This time, instead of a 64-yard beauty, the Pats Troy Brown ran up and picked the shanked boot out of the air at his own 45 and sprinted to a TD. 7-0.

Then, Tom Brady was knocked out of the game and Bledsoe came in and led the Pats on a scoring drive that gave them a 14-3 halftime lead.

Second half just as bad

Then, in the third quarter, the Steelers drove into field goal range. Kris Brown's kick was blocked, and Troy Brown -- yes, the same as in the punt return -- picked up the ball and ran a short distance before lateraling the ball to Antwan Harris.

Harris then sprinted 49 yards for a TD and a 21-3 lead.

The Steelers charged back with touchdowns to narrow that to 21-17, but Adam Vinateri added a field goal to set the final score.

Kordell and the comeback

The Steelers had some chances later, but that great QB Kordell Stewart tossed two interceptions to end those potential threats.

In short, that was the worst loss ever to those despised Patriots. Two weeks later, the Pats, again a heavy underdog, relied on rookie Brady and went on and upset the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl to start the Bellichick era.

New England won three Super Bowls in four years, and the Steelers gave them tremendous impetus by playing simply a lousy game in the 2001 AFC Championship game.

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