New England Patriots

AFC Championship 2017: Steelers vs Patriots Highlights, Recap

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:27 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Alan Schechter/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

The New England Patriots got the job done at home, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers to capture the AFC Championship.

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The New England Patriots fundamental slogan is simple: Do your job. Well, that is exactly what they did at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. From the moment Tom Brady returned from his suspension, New England’s destiny has been a return to the Super Bowl. Brady put in a huge regular season and was dominant in this ball game. He threw for over 300 yards in the game, tying him for the most in postseason history with Peyton Manning. He took the team to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and they never looked back against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh had the chance to take the momentum away from New England in the second quarter. It was 17-6 in favor of New England and the Steelers were driving late in the period. Just after the two-minute warning, Ben Roethlisberger connected on what we thought was a touchdown pass to Jesse James. But, on further review, James was short of the goal line. The Patriots went on to put up a goal line stand, holding Pittsburgh to a field goal. Had the scored a touchdown and made the score 17-13, or even 17-14, it might have turned the tides. The field goal wasn’t enough.

In the second half, New England took off and never looked back. Pittsburgh was never seriously in this game again. They went three and out on their opening drive, Brady drove down for a field goal and there wasn’t a peep from the Steelers offense on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. It didn’t help that Le’Veon Bell was lost to a groin injury after just six carries, but be that as it may, the Steelers never got anything going. They finally reached the end zone in the second half with less than four minutes to play, but by then, it was too late.

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The story of the game was Chris Hogan. The guy who has bounced around the AFC East from the Dolphins, to the Bills, and now New England was a star. He caught two out of the three Brady touchdown passes. Now Brady gets the chance to break the tie with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most Super Bowl titles in NFL history for a quarterback.

It will be an interesting matchup in Houston with the number one offense in the NFL during the regular season.

Three Stars

Chris Hogan, Patriots — Hogan set the Patriots single game post season record for a receiver with nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Tom Brady, Patriots — Brady was his normal dominant self, going 32-42 for 384 yards and three touchdowns.

Julian Edelman, Patriots — With eight catches for 118 yards and one touchdown, Edelman performed like every bit the Brady favorite he is.

Highlights

Next: Falcons vs. Patriots Set for Super Bowl 51

Next Game

New England will face the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl on February 5th.

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