Brady, Pats rout reeling Steelers
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski celebrates his touchdown catch in front of Steelers linebacker Jarvin Jones, back left, and Troy Polamalu (43) during the second quarter.
New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount celebrates his touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Neither Tom Brady nor Ben Roethlisberger were having the kind of seasons expected out of a pair of quarterbacks with five Super Bowl rings between them.
That all changed Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
Brady outdueled Roethlisberger in a shootout, throwing for 432 yards and four touchdowns, as the Patriots gained 610 yards and drubbed the Steelers, 55-31.
It was the most points allowed in Steelers history, breaking a record of 54 set back in 1941 against Green Bay and in 1985 against San Diego.
“It was a 55-point game,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “I don’t care whether it was the most points we’ve given up or not. It’s not any more sickening or less sickening based on those results.”
Roethlisberger matched Brady as much as he could, but fell short, throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns – three to Jerricho Cotchery – with two interceptions, as the Steelers fell to 2-6.
“Our offense went out and put up some points, and we just weren’t good from the start,” said Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley. “We didn’t stop the run. We didn’t stop the pass.”
The Steelers pulled into a 24-24 tie after Roethlisberger’s second touchdown pass to Cotchery, but Brady and the Patriots (7-2) torched Pittsburgh’s defense, outscoring Pittsburgh 31-7 the rest of the way.
“When Tom’s on fire, it doesn’t matter who’s out there,” said Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. “We didn’t play very well from the first snap to the last.”
The Steelers appeared to steal some early momentum, stopping New England (7-2) running back Brandon Bolden twice on fourth down from inside the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. Bolden got a second chance at scoring after Polamalu was penalized for being offside on the first attempt.
But Roethlisberger attempted a deep pass to Antonio Brown on first down and safety Devin McCourty intercepted it, giving New England the ball back at the Pittsburgh 34.
Brady made the Steelers pay, finding a wide-open Danny Amendola down the seam for a 34-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.
“You throw it, they catch it, they run with it,” Brady said. “It makes a good day for a quarterback.”
The Steelers mounted a drive on the next possession, converting a third-and-30 with a 29-yard screen pass by Roethlisberger to Le’Veon Bell and a 1-yard Bell run on fourth down. But a second attempt at a fourth-and-one conversion came up short.
Brady again made the Steelers pay, this time finding tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give New England a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
The Steelers quickly moved back down the field, thanks to a 41-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Emmanuel Sanders, but the drive stalled and Pittsburgh settled for a 34-yard Shaun Suisham field goal that cut New England’s lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
Brady came back with another long pass to Amendola, who was again left uncovered on what turned out to be a 57-yard catch and run. That set up a 20-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to push New England’s lead to 17-3 with just under four minutes remaining in the first half.
The Steelers cut the gap to 17-10, with Roethlisberger throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Brown on the first play after the two-minute warning. It was Roethlisberger’s 200th career TD pass. He joined Terry Bradshaw (212) as the only Steelers with 200 career touchdown passes.
But Pittsburgh left too much time on the clock for Brady, who had two timeouts remaining.
Taking advantage of a pair of pass interference penalties, including one on rookie safety Shamarko Thomas in the end zone, the Patriots stretched their advantage to 24-10 on a 1-yard Steven Ridley touchdown run with 10 seconds remaining in the half.
Polamalu jump-started the Steelers in the second half, forcing a fumble by Ridley on a short pass completion. Woodley recovered the loose ball at the New England 36, and Roethlisberger threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Cotchery to trim the Patriots’ lead to 24-17.
The Steelers then forced a three-and-out and Brown returned the punt 24 yards to the New England 46. Roethlisberger tied the score at 24-24 with a second TD pass to Cotchery, this one from 8 yards, and the momentum had clearly turned.
Brady took the Patriots back down the field, but linebacker Jason Worilds came up with a third-down sack – his second of the game – and New England settled for a 32-yard Gostkowski field goal and a 27-24 lead late in the third quarter.
The Steelers stalled on their next possession, and Julian Edelman returned a 41-yard Mat McBriar punt 43 yards to the Pittsburgh 34. Brady threw a 17-yard TD pass to rookie Aaron Dobson to put New England ahead, 34-24, with 13:46 remaining.
Less than four minutes later, Ridley, who had 115 yards rushing, put the Steelers away with a 5-yard touchdown run. Brady added a second TD pass to Dobson, this one an 81-yard catch-and-run.
“It was a disappointing performance, probably as disappointed as I’ve been,” said Tomlin. “They handled us, and they handled us well.”
Guy Whimper started at right guard for David DaCastro (ankle). … The two-sack game was the third of Worilds’ career.
… Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams left in the fourth quarter with a concussion. He was replaced by Stevenson Sylvester. … Right tackle Marcus Gilbert left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. He was replaced by Mike Adams. … The Patriots had three 100-yard receivers: Gronkowski (9-143), Dobson (5-130) and Amendola (4-122).