Patriots Live Blog: Pats Steamroll Steelers, Now Headed To Super Bowl LI
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
Final, 36-17 Patriots: LeGarrette Blount picked up the first down, which allowed Tom Brady to take the knee in the victory formation. You just know that that has to feel good for him.
After his third kneeldown, the teams converged at midfield, and this one officially went into the books. The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.
It's their ninth trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history, a new NFL record.
Postgame coverage:
- Hurley: Patriots, As Ever, The Class Of The NFL
- Four Ups, Four Downs From Patriots' AFC Title Game Victory
- Tom Brady Says He Didn't Hear 'Where Is Roger?' Chants
- Martellus Bennett Dances With Patriots Cheerleaders In Celebration
Fourth quarter, 3:36, 36-17 Patriots: In a drive that means very little to anybody, the Steelers scored a touchdown.
Roethlisberger went deep up the right sideline to Hamilton, who won his matchup and hauled in a 30-yard touchdown. Then they converted a two-point conversion.
That's good news for the Steelers, technically. But it took them nearly three minutes to score.
Fourth quarter, 6:24, 36-9 Patriots: The Patriots went with a shotgun, spread offense from inside the 5-yard line. In response, the Steelers rushed just three and dropped eight into coverage. The resulting plays were likely heart attacks for Patriots fans, as Brady was just scrambling around waiting for receivers to get open. He got smushed by Stephon Tuitt and took a hit on the third down pass, too. And nobody was ever open, so they didn't score the TD. It was dicey.
But he escaped without any injury. And Gostkowski kicked the short field goal. And it's 36-9 with 6:24 left to play.
Brady, coincidentally, set a single-game Patriots playoff record with 384 passing yards. Nice night for the kid.
Fourth quarter, 10:14, 33-9 Patriots: Ben Roethlisberger threw up a deep prayer.
It was not answered by the person he hoped to answer it.
Eric Rowe, essentially playing center field, waited for Roethlisberger's deep ball to hit him in the chest. Rowe picked it off and then returned 37 yards. First-and-10 Patriots at the Pittsburgh 32-yard line.
Fourth quarter, 10:26, 33-9 Patriots: The Patriots got out of dangerous land, but Brady's pass to Edelman on third down fell incomplete. Edelman was held a bit on the play, but that's not getting called right now.
The Steelers take over at their own 35-yard line after a 58-yard punt and a 10-yard return by Brown.
Fourth quarter, 13:06, 33-9 Patriots: Another goal line stand for the Patriots defense.
The Steelers did march down the field with purpose, temporarily silencing the raucous crowd. And they appeared to have scored too. However, Cobi Hamilton had run out of bounds before making the catch, so he was flagged for illegal touching. The loss of down led to fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, and Roethlisberger floated a fade to Hamilton. With Logan Ryan in coverage, Hamilton couldn't come down with it, and the Steelers turned it over on downs.
It's first-and-10 Patriots from their own 2-yard line. So the goal here is to avoid a safety and a turnover.
Third quarter, 1:35, 33-9 Patriots: The Steelers are done.
On first down, Brady threw quick out to Edelman, who stiff-armed his man and burst up the sideline for an 18-yard gain. Three plays later on third-and-10, Brady patiently waited in the pocket, and Edelman found a nice pocket in the end zone. Brady fired one to 11, and it was the touchdown that should put the nail in the Steelers' coffin.
Gostkowski did miss the PAT, but it's still a 24-point game with not a whole lot of time left.
Brady is 28-for-36 for 361 yards and three touchdowns.
To add to the celebration, Scott Zolak was shown on the video board holding a "WHERE IS ROGER?" sign? After the kickoff, the fans went with a "Rog-er!" chant.
They'll be seeing Roger in Houston, it looks like.
Third quarter, 2:36, 27-9 Patriots: You've got to be kidding me. The Steelers might have just given this game up to the Patriots.
Roethlisberger connected with Rogers on first down, and Kyle Van Noy came in to knock the ball loose. Rob Ninkovich recoverd the ball, and it's Patriots ball on the Pittsburgh 28.
Third quarter, 2:44, 27-9 Patriots: The Brady-to-Hogan situation is no joke, folks. No joke.
We'll get to that. But first, there was a third-down pass from Brady to Edelman on a third-and-7 from the 15-yard line. That kept the drive alive and prevented the Steelers from getting good field position. That was huge.
Then, the Steelers didn't cover James Develin, who lined up wide left. He gained an easy 13 yards.
Two plays later, Hogan found space over the middle, and Brady hit him in stride for a 39-yard catch-and-run. That duo is ridiculous tonight.
On the next play, Blount and the entire offensive line turned a short three-yard gain into an 18-yard run that got the ball down to the 1-yard line. Blount plunged in on the next play, and this crowd is now feeling Super Bowl as they belt out "Living On A Prayer" with Bon Jovi in attendance. It's quite the scene.
Hogan now has 180 receiving yards, which sets a Patriots playoff record.
Third quarter, 6:36, 20-9 Patirots: Eli Rogers came up with another big chain mover for Pittsburgh, but they eventually ended up getting stopped. Roethlisberger threw to James, with Chung in tight coverage, and though the tight end got his mitts on it, he couldn't hold on. Roethlisberger was furious at the officials for not calling a penalty on Chung, and he had a decent case (Chung grabbed James' jersey along the way once), but of course, there was no call.
Edelman made a fair catch at the 12-yard line, and the Patriots offense is looking at 88 yards to the end zone.
Third quarter, 9:59, 20-9 Patriots: Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Tom Brady connected with a wide open Chris Hogan for a big gain. This one went for 24 yards to get the Patriots in striking distance. On third-and-10 though, Mitchell's toe was just on the white of the boundary, so the would-be first down gain was an incompletion. It was a good call, and a challenge would have certainly not overturned it.
So Gostkowski took the field for a 47-yarder, and he booted it right through the uprights to give the Patriots a little breathing room at 20-9.
Brady is 22-for-29 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line has done a great job of protecting him ever since that early sack.
In injury news, Nate Ebner suffered a head injury (probably on the opening kickoff of the second half?) and will not return. Key special teamer.
Third quarter, 11:16, 17-9 Patriots: Tom Brady ran a sneak up the gut on a third-and-1. He picked up the yardage but eventually lost the football. He was ruled to have been down before losing the football, and replay appears to confirm that.
However, Mike Tomlin is using a challenge. He is almost certain to lose.W
UPDATE: He lost. First-and-10 Patriots at the 47-yard line. Steelers down a timeout. Not smart.
Third quarter, 13:10, 17-9 Patriots: Logan Ryan came up with his second pass breakup on a third down of the evening, this one on a third-and-4 to force a three-and-out to start the second half.
Pittsburgh's punt was caught by Edelman at the New England 16, and that's where Tom Brady's offense will get back to work.
Third quarter, 14:49, 17-9 Patriots: With a return out to the 30-yard line, the Steelers have the ball and the second half is underway.
Halftime, 17-9 Patriots: After two short passes to White in which he stayed in bounds, the Patriots decided to go safe and drain some clock. Brady did convert on the third-and-7 with a bullet to Amendola, but following a spike on first down, just 22 seconds remained in the half.
On second-and-10 from the 36-yard line, Brady was hurried and just threw quickly to Bennett for a short gain. He was tackled in bounds and that was it for the first half.
Overall, the Patriots have to feel all right about that half. The offense had two excellent drives and appears to have the upper hand in the coaching department. The Steelers defense too often looked confused out there, leading to a number of big plays.
But on the troubling side for New England is the way the Steelers offense looks to just be more talented than New England's defense at times. Pittsburgh is 5-for-8 on third downs, and really, the missed PAT and James getting tackled on the 1-foot line are the difference between the current score and a 17-14 score.
What I'm trying to say is ... this is a pretty good game. The second half ought to be interesting. If Pittsburgh can get in the end zone on the opening drive ... it'll be rather interesting.
Second quarter, 1:39, 17-9 Patriots: The Steelers put together another impressive drive, and it probably should have ended with a touchdown. But it did not.
On first-and-10 from the 21-yard line, Cobi Hamilton let a would-be touchdown pass bounce right off his belly. Eric Rowe was there in coverage, but that's a ball that Hamilton has got to come down with for his team. That was a big-time opportunity missed.
On the next play, Williams ran for a yard, setting up a third-and-9 from the 20-yard line. Coming out of the two-minute warning, Jesse James got away from Patrick Chung on a deep out type of route. Roethlisberger connected with James, who forced his way up the field and across the goal line. He was awarded a touchdown, however replay showed he was down inside the 1-yard line.
On first-and-goal, Williams was stacked up behind the line by Chung, Hightower and McClellin. The Patriots used their second timeout to stop the clock at 1:50.
On second-and-goal from the 2, Vincent Valentine burst through the A gap and ate up Williams for a three-yard loss. The Patriots used their final timeout to stop the clock at 1:47.
On third-and-goal from the 5, Roethlisberger threw incomplete as Rogers ran an out route to the right side. Pittsburgh had to settle for a field goal.
That was a strong stand from the Patriots' defense, as the Steelers' red zone woes have reared their heads once again. Considering Pittsburgh gets the ball to start the second half, keeping that drive to a field goal was immense.
Bell did return on that drive but didn't last long. He left the field after taking the first handoff of the drive.
Second quarter, 7:43, 17-6 Patriots: The Patriots are pulling out the tricks. This one came in the form of a flea-flicker. Brady handed to Dion Lewis from the 34-yard line, and Lewis stopped at the line and tossed it back to the QB. Hogan was burning up the field and got behind the Steelers defense, and Brady lobbed a perfect pass into his hands as he glided across the goal line with his second touchdown of the first half.
Chris Hogan now has a ridiculous seven receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Incredible.
The emotional reaction on that play was huge too, as you can tell the entire offense wanted that one to work. It wasn't dissimilar to the Edelman touchdown pass to Amendola two years ago vs. Baltimore.
Brady is now 15-for-19 for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Le'Veon Bell has returned to the game for Pittsburgh.
Second quarter, 11:31, 10-6 Patriots: Ladies and gentlemen, the Steelers have answered. And they've done it with a red zone touchdown.
On a third-and-1 from the 5-yard line, DeAngelo Williams barreled through the defense and just over the goal line, capping off an impressive 84-yard drive.
However, Boswell shanked the PAT, so the crowd is still lively here.
That was a really strong drive. Thirteen plays, 84 yards, 6:16, and they only faced two third downs along the way.
In a pressing development, Le'Veon Bell suffered a groin injury and is questionable to return.
Second quarter, 13:04, 10-0 Patriots: With the Steelers driving, Trey Flowers is down on the field. He's been the Patriots' most explosive defensive lineman, so that's not ideal.
End of first quarter, 10-0 Patriots: The Steelers were dangerously close to letting this get out of hand, after Sammie Coates got clobbered by Brandon King and set Pittsburgh up with bad field position. But on third-and-10, the Steelers executed a play that sprung Eli Rogers wide open across the middle of the field for a gain of 16.
Roger again moved the chains before the quarter ended, and it'll be second-and-4 for Pittsburgh near midfield to start the second quarter.
First quarter, 2:47, 10-0 Patriots: Now that was the drive the Patriots wanted to start the game with.
It started with a heavy dose of Dion Lewis, who gained 13 yards on three carries and a reception on four of the first five plays of the drive.
On a third-and-1, Brady threw a quick screen to Hogan to move the chains. On the next play, Brady changed the entire formation at the line, and the Steelers were lost. Brady easily connected with Hogan for a 26-yard gain up the left seam. It was Brady at his best.
A few plays later on a third-and-6 from the 16-yard line, Brady had all day to scan the field after the Steelers blitzed the A gap and the line picked it up. He waited and waited before finding a completely uncovered Chris Hogan in the back of the end zone. Touchdown.
That was 11 plays, 80 yards, and remarkably efficient.
Brady is 10-for-12 for 128 yards and a touchdown.
First quarter, 7:23, 3-0 Patriots: The Steelers moved the chains on a third-and-4, when Roethlisberger avoided Chris Long's rush and connected with Jesse James. But on third-and-6 from the New England 44-yard line, Butler was in good position to break up a pass to Antonio Brown, who was streaking toward the left boundary. Roethlisberger might have underthrown it a bit, but Butler made a very good play on the ball to force the incompletion.
The punt bounced through the end zone, so it's first-and-10 at the 20 for the Patriots.
First quarter, 10:06, 3-0 Patriots: Absolute mess of a series there for the Patriots. Blount lost a yard on first down. Then on second down, after oddly sending Edelman in motion from the backfield behind James White, David Andrews snapped the ball early before Brady threw the ball to nobody on the left side. That looked like a team that hasn't practiced in a few months.
On third down, Joe Thuney got absolutely dominated by Javon Hargrave, who bullied the rookie out of the way en route to sacking Brady for a loss of 10 yards.
Antonio Brown made a fair catch on Ryan Allen's punt at the Pittsburgh 39-yard line, and the Steelers will have some good field position here.
First quarter, 11:27, 3-0 Patriots: After a pair of Le'Veon Bell runs, the Steelers faced a third-and-1. Rather than grind out that yard, Roethlisberger made some calls at the line and opted to air out a deep ball to Sammie Coates. Logan Ryan was running step-for-step with the receiver and forced an incompletion. So it was a three-and-out for Pittsburgh's offense to start the game.
The 36-yard punt went out of bounds and sets the Patriots up at their own 33-yard line.
First quarter, 13:08, 3-0 Patriots: That's nearly what the Patriots wer ehoping for when they elected to receive. On the first play, Brady had all day to throw and waited patiently to find Martellus Bennett for a gain of 12. On the next play, Edelman was wide open up the left seam. Brady hit him easily, and then Edelman exploded to turn it into a 41-yard gain.
Brady hit Malcolm Mitchell on the hands on a third-and-1 three plays later, but the rookie dropped it. The Patriots had to settle for a field goal, and Gostkowski hit the 31-yarder.
The Patriots lead 3-0. It's good ... but they weren't looking to open with a field goal.
In any event, they moved the ball with remarkable efficiency on that drive.
First quarter, 15:00: Boswell's opening kick went out of bounds, but through the end zone, so it's a touchback. First-and-10 New England at the 25-yard line.
6:40 p.m.: With Tedy Bruschi serving as honorary captain for the coin toss for the Patriots, the Steelers called tails ... and it came up heads.
The Patriots elected to receive. Interesting.
5:57 p.m.: The Patriots and Steelers are all out on the field for warmups as the mist continues to fill Gillette Stadium. Tom Brady had his usual entrance ...
... and Ben Roethlisberger made the rounds to give a pregame hug to just about every one of his teammates.
5:11 p.m.: Wide receiver Michael Floyd highlights the list of Patriots inactives. Here's the full list:
LaAdrian Waddle, T
Justin Coleman, CB
Jacoby Brissett, QB
Cyrus Jones, CB
Michael Floyd, WR
D.J Foster, RB
Jordan Richards, S
Floyd being inactive means Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell are healthy enough to give Belichick confidence in their ability to last the game.
And here's who is inactive for Pittsburgh:
Demarcus Ayers, WR
Zach Mettenberger, QB
Al-Hajj Shabazz, CB
L.J. Fort, LB
Johnny Maxey, DT
Brian Mihalik, T
Ladarius Green, TE
4:38 p.m.: For anybody who's already looking ahead to Houston, it's looking like it'll be the Atlanta Falcons representing the NFC. They are, quite simply, kicking the Packers' butts up and down the field today. It's 24-0 at halftime, and that's appropriately indicative of how one-sided the game has been.
So, if you were hoping for a Patriots-Packers Super Bowl rematch from the '90s, it looks like you won't get your wish.
4 p.m.: Good afternoon and thank you for checking in with today's AFC Championship Game live blog. All those months of offseason chatter, the boiling training camp practices, all 16 weeks of the season -- they all converge right here, today, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
It's a game of serious magnitude, of course, and it will all be covered right here in the live blog.
The conditions roughly two-and-a-half hours before kickoff are a bit wet. It's not raining, per se, but it's definitely spitting. In technical terms, it's somewhere between a no-wiper situation in the car and a first setting on the wipers.
Once the game begins, the Patriots are expected to have their full complement of receivers available.
As for the rest of the pregame news, check back right here. Inactives will be announced around 5 p.m. ET, and then we'll have live updates and analysis throughout the game.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
