PITTSBURGH, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Two huge plays on special teams featuring Troy Brown put New England in front and late interceptions by Tebucky Jones and Lawyer Milloy sealed the upset victory Sunday, vaulting the Patriots into the Super Bowl with a 24-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe played for the first time in three months, filling in for the injured Tom Brady, and the Patriots unhearalded defense completely shut down the supposedly dominant running game of the Steelers.
The AFC Championship game, however, revolved around four big plays -- a punt return for a touchdown by Brown, a blocked field goal that Brown helped turned into another Patriots touchdown and the interceptions by Jones and Milloy, which came as the Steelers were trying to produce a score that would have created overtime.
New England, a 10-point underdog on the road, will play in the Super Bowl for the third time next Sunday when they take on the St. Louis Rams. The Patriots and Rams met in Foxboro on Nov. 18 with the Rams prevailing, 24-17. St. Louis quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 401 yards in that game.
But since then, the Patriots have won eight straight and will be trying for their first Super Bowl title after previously losing in the league championship game to the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
"This is not about me, this is all about our team and everybody contributed to this," said New England Coach Bill Belichick, who was a defensive assistant under Bill Parcells when the Patriots last reached the Super Bowl.
The Patriots took a 14-3 halftime lead with the first of the touchdowns coming on special teams, one that came about only because of what will go down in Steelers history as an infamous mistake by Pittsburgh wide receiver Troy Edwards.
Pittsburgh punted the ball away from its own 12-yard line with just under four mintues remaining in the first period and the ball sailed all the way to the New England 23. But Edwards, covering the kick, ran out of bounds and down the sidelines without being hit and that drew a five-yard penalty for illegal procedure.
That forced the Steelers to punt again and this time Brown grabbed it at his own 45 and ran straight up the field for 55 yards and the game's first touchdown.
With time running out in the first half and the Patriots owning a 7-3 lead, Brady was hit around the ankles by defensive back Lee Flowers and the New England quarterback limped to the sidelines with an injured left ankle. Brady came on in the second week of the season when Bledsoe suffered a severe chest injury and won 12 of the next 15 games.
This time, it was Bledsoe being summoned from the sidelines and he promptly completed three straight passes -- all of them going to David Patten and the third one covering 11 yards for a touchdown that gave the Patriots a 14-3 lead.
"It's quite a credit to Drew," said Brady. "For 14 games, he's watching and he comes out in the biggest game of the year and does a great job."
The New England lead grew to 21-3 midway through the third period when the play of the special teams again went New England's way.
Pittsburgh lined up for a 34-yard field goal attempt by Kris Brown, who was good on a 30-yarder in the first half. But this attempt was blocked by Brandon Mitchell and the force of the block sent the ball bouncing back toward midfield.
Brown swooped in and picked it up on the bounce at the New England 49, ran 10 yards with it and lateraled to Antwan Harris, who went the final 41 yards for the touchdown. On the sidelines, Brady cheered the big play by jumping up and down on his right foot while making sure his injured left foot did not touch the ground.
Pittsburgh, however, rallied to within 21-17 on two quick touchdowns -- coming on a one-yard run by Jerome Bettis and an 11-yard run by Amos Zereoue.
Adam Vinatieri added to the New England lead with 11:12 to play, giving the Steelers plenty of time to produce a touchdown and perhaps create the first AFC Championship overtime in 15 years.
But the first of Pittsburgh's three remaining possessions ended at midfield when the Steelers ran out of downs and punted.
They got the ball back at their own 22 with 4:21 remaining, but four plays into the drive, Pittsburgh quarterback Kordell Stewart threw a step too far in front of receiver Hines Ward. The ball bounced off the chest of Jones and high into the air, but Jones stayed with it, claimed the interception and returned it 19 yards to the Pittsburgh 34.
That eventually led to a 50-yard field goal attempt by Vinatieri which would have clinched the win. But the attempt drifted just left, giving Pittsburgh one more chance. The Steelers took over at their own 40, but two plays later Stewart overthrew his target with the ball carrying right to Milloy.
Bledsoe completed just 10 of 21 passes for 102 yards and the touchdown, but unlike Stewart, stayed away from the critical mistake.
"You prepare yourself that way," Bledsoe said. "You never want to have anything happen to another quarterback. I've come in a lot like that in this league. It feels great. It has been a great year for the team. It has not been a good year for me, personally, but I was prepared when I was needed to come in and get it done."
Brady completed 12 of 18 passes for 115 yards before leaving with an injury that left his status in doubt for next Sunday's Super Bowl.
Brown, in addition to his big punt return, caught eight passes for 121 yards.
Stewart completed 24 of 42 passes for 255 yards and was intercepted three times, one of them a desperation throw at the end of the first half. But it was the inability of the Pittsburgh running game to get going that was the chief underlying factor in the game. Stewart gained 41 yards rushing and the other gthree Steelers who carried the ball combined for 17 yards on 14 carries.
Bettis, who had not played in seven weeks because of a groin strain, gained eight yards on nine carries.
"The injury had nothing to do with it," Bettis said. "There was just nowhere to run.
It was the fourth AFC Championship game for the Steelers under the 10-year coaching tenure of Bill Cowher and all four have been played in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers have lost three of them.
"There were a lot of things going on out there today we weren't able to overcome," Cowher said. "We fell short and this one is going to hurt.
"A lot of credit should go to them (the Patriots). I wish them well representing the AFC. They beat us today. There is not much to say. Words aren't going to cure the hurt that exists. We have come a long way. You put your heart and soul into it for six months. There is not much you can talk about. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish it off the way we wanted to."
The injury to Brady will make his status the No. 1 story leading into Super Bowl week.
"I'm not ready to address that situation," Belichick said.
"I have a little bit of swelling, but hopefully I'll be ready to roll," Brady said. "I'd have been ready to come back into this game, but Drew was doing a great job. I'll be prepared if they tell me to start."
