8 years in the making: Steelers beat the Cheaters with Brady at QB, 25-17

The last time Pittsburgh beat New England with Brady at QB, it was Halloween 2004, and so far, this was the most satisfying victory of the year for the Steelers who won their fourth in a row and now own the AFC's best record at 6-2.

Big Ben bombs New England

Big Ben had another fantastic game (not that he is an elite quarterback or anything) completing 36 of 50 pass attempts for 365 yards and 2 TDs.  The Steelers' offense converted 10 of 16 third downs, out gained the Cheaters in total yardage 427 to 213, and led in time of possession by a count of 39:22 to 20:38.  Antonio Brown had another solid performance as well, catching 9 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, in addition to his 93 return yards.

What can Brown do for you?

The Steelers' offensive effectiveness helped their banged-up defense by keeping Brady off the field.  Pittsburgh owned the first quarter with two long drives that limited the Cheaters to only one first quarter possession, which was a three-and-out.  New England converted only 3 of 10 third downs.  Pittsburgh sacked Brady three times, and forced a game clinching fumble with seconds to go that resulted in safety and one of the longest renditions of Styx' Renegade in the Blevins household -- ever.

Steelers v. Cheaters

GAME RECAP:

Again, the Steeler offense was the story of the game with five long drives for scores.  After the opening kickoff, Pittsburgh marched 68 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.  The drive consisted primarily of pass completions to tight end Heath Miller, who hauled in a half-dozen passes on the drive.

Now that the line blocks, I catch passes

After Brady's three-and-out, the Steeler took 16 plays to go 72 yards for a field goal and a 10-0 lead.  Because the Steelers "never make it easy," Big Ben tossed an inexplicable interception to a wide open Patriots linebacker on 3rd and 17 from Pittsburgh's own 15 yard line.  The interception was ran back to the 8 yard line, and two plays later, New England had cut the deficit to 10-7.  Not to be deterred though, Ben drove Pittsburgh right back on a 10-play, 76-yard drive for another TD and a 17-7 edge.  The Steelers led 17-10 at halftime.

The Steelers long drives continued in the third quarter as Pittsburgh marched 70 yards on 14 plays for a field goal, 63 yards on 11 plays for another Suisham kick, and a 23-10 lead in the 4th quarter.  The fact that those drives ended in field goals, rather than touchdowns, kept New England in the game.  Without the Steelers ongoing commitment to keep their opponents in games, the final score could have been 33-10.

Brady's only decent drive on the day went 67 yards for a TD, and cut Pittsburgh's lead to 23-17 with 2:35 to go. With all three timeouts remaining and the 2 minute warning, the Pats could have kicked deep and waited for Pittsburgh to do something stupid.  Instead, the Patriots took the initiative themselves with the most pathetic onside kick attempt ever.  The ball barely rolled 7 yards, prompting many observers to wonder if the Patriots' kicker had a husband who also kicked in the NFL.  The Steelers took possession at New England's 37 yard line and moved to the 27 yard line with a first down.

However, instead of running the ball to grind clock and at least set up for a chip shot field goal to ice the game, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians dialed up back-to-back "have-Big-Ben-run-backwards-and-get-viciously-sacked-while-losing-massive-yardage-plays."  The back-to-back sacks took Pittsburgh all the way back to their own 48 yard line (15 yards back from where they originally took possession and 25 yards back from where they had moved the ball on the drive).  After the last sack, which meant the Steelers would have to punt the ball back to New England, the torrent of obscenities that erupted from Steelers fans at home and on Skype was so intense that my computer had to shut down to stop itself from crying.

Tuck this . . .

The Steeler D came to the rescue as Brett Keisel forced a Tom Brady fumble (no B.S. "tuck rule" today).  As players on both sides jockeyed for the ball, Troy Polamalu made a heads-up decision and punched the ball into the Patriots end zone, resulting in a safety and a 25-17 final score.  Happy Steeler fans listened to "Renegade" for several minutes.

NEXT UP: DIRTY BIRDS

The Steelers now own the best record in the AFC with a 6-2 mark and now control their own fate through the rest of the season.  However, Pittsburgh will have, perhaps, its biggest contest of the year next Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) visit Heinz Field.  A loss to the Ravens would put Baltimore back into first place in the division.  Moreover, a second Steelers loss to the Ravens would essentially give Baltimore the AFC North Division title and would force Pittsburgh to fight for a Wildcard spot in the playoffs.  Not to put to fine a point on it, this is a must win for the Steelers.  As NFL Yearbook for the 2010 Steelers so eloquently put it, "in Pittsburgh its about the standard, and the standard is winning, and the standard never changes."  In the past 40 years no NFL team has won more games, more playoff games, more division titles, or more Super Bowls than the Steelers.  Let the Steelers uphold the standard next Sunday against the Ravens!