Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
PFRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of professional football. Formed in 1979, PFRA members include many of the game's foremost historians and writers.
Steelers were fortunate that Pats were knocked out of the way. Not a good NE defense, but it didn't matter. Belichick/Brady always had Steelers' #! They would have beaten them as always if Rex's Jets didn't do their thing. Just look at Pats belting Steelers at Heinz that Wk#10 Sunday Night (same old, same old)!
That said, even though NE did beat GB that regular season, I seriously feel that the Pack would have avenged things in a hypo-SBXLV match vs them!
Not just dropped passes, but GB had the injuries as well. So, sadly, it was always ZERO excuses for the 'Burgh not winning their seventh that year!
I agree with you. The Steelers would have ran poor defensive coverages (playing their DB's too far of the ball), and they would have rushed around the end instead of going at Brady. They would never learn their lesson.
I also agree with you about a Hypo Pats-Pack SB 45. Packers take that one. They had the better team, and they should have defeated them on SNF with Matt Flynn.
That 2010 GB-NE Sunday nighter is the game I always think of whenever anyone claims that there's no such thing as moral victories.
The trouble is that most moral victories can’t be recognized as such until well after the fact. But if you ask the players on almost any Super Bowl champion team, they probably could point to a loss during the regular season that ended up having a positive net effect: It brought the team closer together, it showed them a problem that they were able to rectify in time, it brought a player off the bench who contributed during the stretch, etc.
Not to change the subject but the Steelers will have a different QB to face for the Browns, with the team shutting down Deshaun Watson for the season. The Browns played better with PJ Walker running the team but will go with the rookie Thompson-Robinson for this game. What is going on in Cleveland? Could Watson have played through the pain going forward? He looked fine against the Ravens ...
In 1963, the Steelers went to Green Bay. Pittsburgh was 4-2-1 to 6-1 for Green Bay. The Packers won 33 to 14 but the game was closer than the score indicated. Gary Ballman returned the opening kickoff 93 yards to the Packer two. Dick Hoak moved sideways, pivoted right, and easily went into the End Zone. Steelers led 7 to 0.
Green Bay staying on the ground got three field goals. Lou Michaels was terrible that day being knocked over like a straw man. Just before the half, the Steelers finally got going and had a fourth down from the Green Bay 33. Michaels tried a 40 yard field goal which Herb Adderly easily deflected. Instead leading 10 to 9 at halftime, Pittsburgh trailed 9 to 7. For the next 25 minutes, the Packers ran at Michaels and scored two touchdowns and a field goal. Jim Taylor gained 140 yards that day and it seemed almost effortless.
Score now 26 to 7. With just under four minutes left, the Ed Brown threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to Red Mack. It was a well execute play. Lou Micheals attempted an onside kick which did not work and Green Bay scored another touchdown. Lou Micheals had a mysterious illness in 1963 but Steeler fans never found out what is was.