Historically, the Patriots are happier in Pittsburgh than Miami
The Patriots lost to the Dolphins on Monday night, falling to 8-10 in Miami during the Bill Belichick era. It’s a strange statistic, given that Miami has been so much less successful over the same span than the Patriots, yet have proven to be a consistently brutal opponent in away games.
Yet New England has little time to dwell on the 27-20 loss. On a short week, the Patriots will turn around quickly to face the Steelers in a monumentally important game in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. The winner moves into the driver’s seat for the AFC’s top playoff seed.
On the surface, playing away in Pittsburgh sounds like an even taller task than Miami. That said, this doesn’t hold up against an examination of past records.
While Belichick’s Patriots teams are 8-10 in Miami, they are an impressive 5-2 at Heinz Field.
And the road through Pittsburgh hasn’t been an easy one for Tom Brady and the Patriots. Two of the previous wins in the heart of Steelers country have been in the AFC Championship. In one of those games (2002), Brady injured his left ankle near the end of the first half. Luckily for the Patriots, Drew Bledsoe was still on the roster, and he entered the game to lead New England back to the Super Bowl.
In the other AFC Championship game at Heinz Field (2005), Brady was suffering from a 103-degree fever the night before, requiring an intravenous line into his left arm as he fought off chills. Brady fought through it, firing a 60-yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch one play after Jerome Bettis was stopped on a 4th and 1 in the first quarter. The Patriots went on to win, 41-27.
Whatever the reason for it, the Patriots under Belichick (and led by Brady) have historically been more comfortable in Pittsburgh than in Miami, regardless of the fact that the Steelers have generally been a better team than the Dolphins during that span.
If the Patriots manage another win at Heinz Field on Sunday, it will be less a surprise than a mere continuation of a larger trend, especially in the context of the previous week.
