Patriots versus Steelers. First quarter had the feel of a blowout, the Patriots defense couldn't stop a Pee Wee running back in the first quarter. It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon. Outcome ended up being much much much worse than a blowout! Steeler fans walk away with a win, but I can only imagine how hollow it is for them and worries about the remainder of the season.
In the fourth quarter, I was thinking, how do you win a football game with 4 turnovers? Go 4 for 4 on 4th down, including near your own 20 yard line. The Browns... I mean the Patriots, gave up 5 turnovers (6 including the final one on downs) and could have still won the game as Vrabel found a cheat code for 4th down. After the second Steeler touchdown, the Patriots defense completely shut down the Steelers, who might not have made a first down on non-penalty gained yardage for two or so quarters.
I wish I could blame the officiating, but what happened yesterday was one of the largest cases of botched football in my recollection. Yes, the Steelers do deserve the credit for forcing the fumbles, it isn't as if they were unforced errors. But to see so much progress and control of the game by the Patriots offense and then followed by repeated loss of possession including on two plays that would have otherwise resulted in TD scores... it was probably the hardest loss (for my team) to have ever watched.
