Visitor:  New England Patriots

Home:  Pittsburgh Steelers

Date:  September 25, 2005

 

Scoring:

Team                1          2          3          4          Final

NE                   7          0          3          13          23

PIT                  10        0          3          7            20

 

Visitor playmakers:

RB Corey Dillon, DT Richard Seymour, DE Willie McGinest, DB Eugene Wilson

 

Home playmakers:

WR Hines Ward, LB James Farrior, LB James Harrison, LB Clark Haggans, DB Chris Hope

 

Network:  CBS (NFL Network rebroadcast)

Announcers:  Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

 

Pregame:  No

Halftime:  No

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  No

 

Grade:  Excellent.  The NFL Network crawl at the bottom detracts slightly

 

Notes:  The Patriots, badly depleted by injuries, withstood the longest scoring pass play against them in 15 years and two turnovers inside the Pittsburgh 10 to rally in the fourth quarter behind QB Tom Brady, beating the Steelers 23-20 Sunday on Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal with one second remaining.

 

Brady, shouldering most of the offense, completed his last 12 passes and went 31 of 41 for 372 yards and RB Corey Dillon, all but absent the week before in a 27-17 loss at Carolina, scored twice on short runs to help end Pittsburgh's 16-game winning streak. Dillon's 7-yard run early in the fourth made it 17-13 -- New England's first lead since 7-0 on Dillon's 4-yard run on its first possession.

 

QB Ben Roethlisberger went 12 of 28 for 216 yards in his first loss in 16 regular-season starts, despite going against a badly depleted Patriots defense.  Despite Roethlisberger's misthrows and incompletions, the Steelers (2-1) led 13-10 early in the fourth after New England twice moved inside the Pittsburgh 10 without scoring.

 

The Steelers' Jeff Reed, whose team-record streak of 21 consecutive field goals ended when he missed a 52-yarder, hit from 33 and 24 yards. But Vinatieri cut it to 13-10 late in the third quarter with a 48-yarder, and made a 35-yarder in the fourth to stretch it to 20-13.

 

NOTES: Ward's TD catch was the longest against the Patriots since an 86-yarder by Kansas City in 1990. ... Brady got his 50th career victory in his 65th game. The only QB to win 50 in fewer games was Oakland's Ken Stabler, who did it in 62 games. ... Pittsburgh's 11-game home winning streak also ended. ... Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 4-1 against Pittsburgh with New England. ...

 

Running time:  2:14 (2 discs)