Steelers, Cowher left out in cold again

Something had to give in Pittsburgh last night.

Either Patriot quarterback Tom Brady would… Something had to give in Pittsburgh last night.

Either Patriot quarterback Tom Brady would endure his first post-season defeat in eight starts or rookie Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would suffer his first loss as a starter.

It turned out to be the latter, as the Steelers fell at home 41-27 in the AFC Championship.

The Patriots relied on two players who didn’t play in New England’s mid-season 34-20 loss to Pittsburgh. Deion Branch and Corey Dillon accounted for three of the Patriots’ five touchdowns, propelling the defending champions into Super Bowl XXXIX Feb. 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Branch, a third-year wide receiver out of Louisville, scored the game’s first touchdown at the 6:39 mark of the first period. After the Patriot defense stopped the Steelers on a fourth-and-inches play, Branch out-ran Deshea Townsend on the next play and hauled in a 60-yard bomb from Brady for a touchdown. Branch also scored New England’s final touchdown of the game, a 23-yard reverse, which sealed the game with only 2:23 to go.

In between Branch’s scores was a game in which the Steelers — whose 15-game winning streak ended — had difficulty mounting any semblance of the steady ground attack that had gotten them there. Jerome Bettis managed only 64 yards on 17 carries, his first start this season that didn’t end with at least 100 yards.

Pittsburgh (16-2) had to deter from the run game for most of the second and third quarters when the Patriots pounced on the home team in fashion similar to Pittsburgh’s quick start against New England (16-2) back in Week 8. Roethlisberger threw the ball 24 times, an anomaly in Pittsburgh’s “run-first” offense.

In the second quarter, New England turned big plays on both sides of the ball into a pair of touchdowns. A 45-yard pass over the middle to Branch set the Patriots up with a first-and-10 from the Pittsburgh 14. Two plays later, Brady fired a quick out to David Givens, who walked into the end zone for a 9-yard score. On Pittsburgh’s ensuing drive, which moved deep into New England territory, the only team coming away with points was the Patriots.

Patriot safety Rodney Harrison stepped in front of a Roethlisberger pass and intercepted it at the 13-yard line. He sprinted down the left sideline untouched and walked into the end zone for a 24-3 lead, leaving Heinz Field stunned. The rookie Roethlisberger threw three interceptions on the night, giving him five total in his two post-season games.

“Ben did some things well, but you can’t throw three interceptions,” Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said. “Not in a game of this magnitude. But the kid will learn, and he’ll be a great quarterback.”

“It’s just a game of chance. Sometimes you turn the football over, and sometimes you don’t,” Bettis said after the game. “We needed to play a mistake-free football game, and we didn’t.”

Trying desperately not to fall to 1-4 in AFC Championships under Cowher, the Steelers put on a furious rally. Pittsburgh chopped into the lead with a 5-yard Bettis touchdown run with 10:54 to go in the third quarter.

But Dillon responded for the Patriots with a 25-yard burst down the right sideline to help Belichick’s team regain a three-touchdown lead at 31-20. Dillon finished with 73 yards to go along with his score.

Almost as quickly though, Roethlisberger got the Steelers into the end zone for the second time in the quarter by staying patient on a fourth-and-five play from the New England 30.

With a man in his face, he threw a perfect lob pass to an open Hines Ward, who grabbed it and tiptoed into the end zone. Ward finished with five catches for 105 yards in the defeat, and his touchdown cut New England’s lead to 31-17.

Jeff Reed kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter for Pittsburgh, trimming the deficit to 11 with just more than 13 minutes left in the game. The Steelers had momentum at this point, having scored on three straight possessions.

In a manner fitting most defending Super Bowl champions, New England responded by driving 49 yards in 5:26 for a field goal and 34-20 lead. With 7:29 remaining, Eugene Wilson picked off his second Roethlisberger pass of the game, the fourth Steeler turnover of the night, to seal the win.

“[Losing is] the hardest feeling in the world, but that’s something you have to deal with,” Bettis said. “It leaves a sour and sick taste in your mouth, but that’s what drives you.”

“We put our heart and soul into this football season,” Cowher said. “I know they can’t feel it now, but they have a lot to be proud of.”