Conference Championships: New England Patriots travel to face Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff: Sun January 23, 2005 at 6:36pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.[1][2]
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers in the Conference Championships, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Pittsburgh Steelers, the home crowd at Heinz Field is asked to be a player; for New England Patriots, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Heinz Field with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
New England Patriots versus Pittsburgh Steelers in the Conference Championships. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New England Patriots-Pittsburgh Steelers cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-2 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 10-6 | L2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 9-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 15-1 | W14 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9-7 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-7 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 12-4 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-9 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-11 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 8-8 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 6-10 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2-14 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 13-3 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-10 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6-10 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-10 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 11-5 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | L4 |
Patriots vs Steelers 2004 AFC Championship (HD)
AFC Championship Game 2004 Patriots vs Steelers
2004 AFC Championship New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers Jan 23 2005 NFL on CBS
Patriots vs. Steelers 2004 AFC Championship Game | Grudge Match | NFL NOW
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP - PATRIOTS @ STEELERS - JANUARY 23, 2005
2004 AFC Championship Patriots @ Steelers; CBS; NFL; Brady
2004 AFC Championship Patriots vs Steelers CBS intro
AFC Championship New England Patriots 41 at Pittsburgh Steelers 27 January 23, 2005
2004 AFC Championship Patriots vs Steelers Highlights (CBS Intro)
2004 Patriots @ Steelers AFC Championship Highlights
Ben Roethlisberger Claims "Patriots Cheated" In The 2004 AFC Championship Game Jerome Bettis AgreesNew England Patriots None, Pittsburgh Steelers None
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 1024314141 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 33172727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Patriots | Deion Branch 60 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 10-0 |
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 43 yard field goal | 10-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots | David Givens 9 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 17-3 |
| Patriots | Rodney Harrison 87 yard interception return ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 24-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jerome Bettis 5 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick) | 24-10 |
| Patriots | Corey Dillon 25 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 31-10 |
| Steelers | Hines Ward 30 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 31-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Steelers | Jeff Reed 20 yard field goal | 31-20 |
| Patriots | Adam Vinatieri 31 yard field goal | 34-20 |
| Patriots | Deion Branch 23 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick) | 41-20 |
| Steelers | Plaxico Burress 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick) | 41-27 |
New England Patriots defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 41-27 at Heinz Field in the Conference Championships. The final scoring play was Steelers: Plaxico Burress 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick). Top line of the day: Ben Roethlisberger: 226 pass yards on 14-of-24, 2 TD, 3 INT. New England Patriots advance to the Super Bowl.[1][2]
New England Patriots walked out of Heinz Field as the team that survived a Conference Championships Pittsburgh Steelers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 41-27. The final scoring play came from Steelers: Plaxico Burress 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New England Patriots are bound for the Super Bowl.
New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27. Round: Conference Championships. Attendance: 65242. Q1: 3 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 4 scoring plays. Top performers:
- Ben Roethlisberger: 226 pass yards on 14-of-24, 2 TD, 3 INT
- Corey Dillon: 73 rush yards on 24 carries
- Deion Branch: 4 catches for 116 yards
Conference Championships, played at Heinz Field. Final: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27, with New England Patriots taking the result by 14. **First quarter**
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 48 yard field goal
- Patriots: Deion Branch 60 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 43 yard field goal
Second quarter
- Patriots: David Givens 9 yard pass from Tom Brady ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
- Patriots: Rodney Harrison 87 yard interception return ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
Third quarter
- Steelers: Jerome Bettis 5 yard rush ( Jeff Reed kick)
- Patriots: Corey Dillon 25 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
- Steelers: Hines Ward 30 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick)
Fourth quarter
- Steelers: Jeff Reed 20 yard field goal
- Patriots: Adam Vinatieri 31 yard field goal
- Patriots: Deion Branch 23 yard rush ( Adam Vinatieri kick)
- Steelers: Plaxico Burress 7 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger ( Jeff Reed kick)
Top performers
- Ben Roethlisberger: 226 pass yards on 14-of-24, 2 TD, 3 INT
- Corey Dillon: 73 rush yards on 24 carries
- Deion Branch: 4 catches for 116 yards
| Patriots | Steelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 18 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 322 | 388 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 14/21 | 14/24 |
| Pass yards | 207 | 226 |
| Pass TD | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 1 |
| Sack yards lost | 11 | 1 |
| Net pass yards | 196 | 225 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 32 | 37 |
| Rush yards | 126 | 163 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties | 1 | 2 |
| Penalty yards | 5 | 20 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | |||||
| Tom Brady | 14/21 | 207 | 2 | 0 | |
| PIT | |||||
| Ben Roethlisberger | 14/24 | 226 | 2 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Corey Dillon | 24 | 73 | 1 | 25 |
| Deion Branch | 2 | 37 | 1 | 23 |
| Kevin Faulk | 3 | 20 | 0 | 17 |
| Tom Brady | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| David Givens | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| PIT | ||||
| Jerome Bettis | 17 | 64 | 1 | 25 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 5 | 45 | 0 | 13 |
| Verron Haynes | 5 | 28 | 0 | 8 |
| Duce Staley | 10 | 26 | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | ||||
| Deion Branch | 4 | 116 | 1 | 60 |
| David Givens | 5 | 59 | 1 | 18 |
| Troy Brown | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Christian Fauria | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| David Patten | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Corey Dillon | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Daniel Graham | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| PIT | ||||
| Hines Ward | 5 | 109 | 1 | 30 |
| Antwaan Randle El | 3 | 52 | 0 | 34 |
| Plaxico Burress | 3 | 37 | 1 | 16 |
| Verron Haynes | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Jerame Tuman | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Walter Rasby | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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