2001 Conference Championship · Sun, Jan 27, 2002 · Heinz Field
New England PatriotsWinner
24
at
Pittsburgh Steelers
17
PIT -10 upsetO 35.5 ✓16 mph wind
New England Patriots 24–17. Played in 16 mph wind — weigh that when reading the passing lines.
Pre-2018 game — box score & context only; play-by-play visuals start in 2018
Who moved the needle
Top performers
Receiving · PIT
5/12 for 67 yds, 0 TD
29% of team targets · -2.5 expected points added
Full stat lines
Box score
New England Patriots
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Brady | 12/18 | 115 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1.9 |
| Drew Bledsoe | 10/21 | 102 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antowain Smith | 15 | 47 | 3.1 | 0 | -3.3 |
| J.R. Redmond | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 0 | -0.2 |
| Tom Brady | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Marc Edwards | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | -0.1 |
| Drew Bledsoe | 4 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | -1.6 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Tgt | Yds | TD | Tgt share | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Brown | 8 | 11 | 121 | 0 | 28% | 4.7 |
| David Patten | 4 | 11 | 39 | 1 | 28% | 0.1 |
| Marc Edwards | 4 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 13% | 1.9 |
| Charles Johnson | 2 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 8% | 1.1 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10% | -1.1 |
| J.R. Redmond | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10% | -3.1 |
| Fred Coleman | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3% | -1.0 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otis Smith | 6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Law | 6 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Roman Phifer | 2 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tebucky Jones | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Willie McGinest | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lawyer Milloy | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 |
| Anthony Pleasant | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Johnson | 0 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Stevens | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Vrabel | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Pittsburgh Steelers
Passing
| Player | C/Att | Yds | TD | INT | Sacked | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kordell Stewart | 24/42 | 255 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -0.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kordell Stewart | 8 | 41 | 5.1 | 0 | -5.8 |
| Amos Zereoue | 4 | 11 | 2.8 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Jerome Bettis | 9 | 8 | 0.9 | 1 | -3.2 |
| Hines Ward | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | -1.6 |
Receiving
| Player | Rec | Tgt | Yds | TD | Tgt share | EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaxico Burress | 5 | 12 | 67 | 0 | 29% | -2.5 |
| Hines Ward | 6 | 11 | 64 | 0 | 26% | -0.6 |
| Amos Zereoue | 4 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 10% | 2.8 |
| Jerome Bettis | 2 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 5% | 1.6 |
| Troy Edwards | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 10% | 0.2 |
| Dan Kreider | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 5% | 0.4 |
| Matt Cushing | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2% | 0.7 |
| Bobby Shaw | 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7% | 0.7 |
| Jerame Tuman | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5% | -0.7 |
| Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2% | -1.1 |
Defense (top contributors)
| Player | Solo | Ast | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Fiala | 1 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jason Gildon | 3 | 3 | 2.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Chad Scott | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dewayne Washington | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brent Alexander | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike A. Jones | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Aaron Smith | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendrell Bell | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bobby Shaw | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Closing number vs result
Betting context
- Closing spread
- PIT -10
- Closing total
- 35.5
- NE moneyline
- —
- PIT moneyline
- —
Steelers closed -10 and lost outright — an upset against the closing number.
Total closed 35.5; the game landed 41 — over by 5.5.
Conditions and crew
Game environment
- Venue
- Heinz Field
- Roof / surface
- outdoors · grass
- Kickoff weather
- 50°F, wind 16 mph
- Referee
- Ed Hochuli
- Rest
- NE 8 days · PIT 7 days
- Coaches
- Bill Belichick vs Bill Cowher
Wind at 16 mph is the kind that drags passing depth and kicking range — weigh it when reading the splits.