They say it takes 24 hours to get over a crushing defeat. However, 24 hours seems like far too little time for the sour taste of Sunday to leave the mouths of Steelers fans. The loss was bad enough. 36-17 is a bad score, but still not a proper reflection of the size of the Patriots victory. Losing in the AFC Championship game was bad enough. But losing yet again to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots just adds salt to the wounds. Their success is almost as unbearable as our defeat.
Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Championship Takeaways
Where do you begin attempting to get over this game? How can you get over the fact that the Steelers gave up 298 yards to Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman? How about the fact that Tom Brady picked apart the Steelers zone defense? These are ideas that will stick with the Steelers and their fan base for a while after those famous 24 hours. Aside from the game ending the season, it also ended any discussion of Pittsburgh being “The Team” in this era of NFL football.
Steelers Fail to Stop New England Receivers
When asked to name the top 20 receivers in the league, few would list a Patriots receiver. However, both Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman looked like All-Pro wideouts on Sunday. The tandem combined for whopping 298 yards and three touchdowns. This is even more staggering considering Hogan was a lacrosse player in college, while Edelman played quarterback. Most would ask how these two put up such incredible numbers. The answer; lack of adjustments from the Steelers Defense.
Game Plan and Zone Defense Ends Steelers Season
The inability to adjust to your surroundings is often called ignorance. The unwillingness to adjust to your surroundings is often called stubbornness. Regardless of which was the case Sunday, staying in a zone defense was flat out stupidity. Because it was the defense that got them to this point, the Steelers felt no need to change their ways. 384 passing yards later, Pittsburgh may have wished they adjusted to account for Tom Brady’s strength of picking apart zone defenses. Championship teams are able and willing to adapt, maybe that’s the reason New England is going to their ninth Super Bowl.
Many subscribe to the idea that the Patriots are so successful simply “because they are the Patriots.” I am not one of those people. Just ask the New York Giants, New England is not indestructible. However, the Giants did not fail to recognize that you cannot just “Be You” to beat New England. You have to game plan and be the team they do not want to face. It seemed Sunday that Pittsburgh did not have this mentality. The game plan of “Just Be Us” does not work with New England, and the Steelers found out the hard way.
Legacy Hurt By Another Loss To New England
This game was basically the end-all-be-all on the legacy conversation. In this era of NFL Football, it seems now that Brady and the Patriots have claimed the title as the league’s premiere dynasty. Peyton Manning needed two different teams, and because of this, the conversation was down to Roethlisberger’s Steelers and Brady’s Patriots. With the win Sunday, it is clear that New England just has Pittsburgh’s number.
Consider this. Say Roethlisberger beats Brady in 2005 and goes on to win Super Bowl 39. Then he leads the Steelers down the field for the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl 45. Finally, Roethlisberger beats Brady on Sunday. These may just be three games, but these three games are the difference between the idea of Roethlisberger potentially chasing his fifth ring and the fact that Brady is.
Although they reached the AFC Championship game, the season was not a success. You chase championships, and when you don’t win championships then you have failed. There were some amazing moments, however. No one will soon forget “The Inch That Saved Christmas” or any of the other countless memories this team provided its fan base this season. Although the ultimate goal was not reached, the season was not a waste. Remember, next season starts tomorrow, and the pursuit of number seven never stops. All there is to say now is “Here We Go”.
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