New England Patriots

The Steelers hold on to defeat the Patriots, 17-10

Follow along for the latest news from Heinz Field Sunday afternoon.

New England Patriots v Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Haden of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts after being called for pass interference on Chris Hogan of the New England Patriots in the third quarter. Joe Sargent/Getty Images

By Mark Dunphy and Rachel Bowers

9 minutes to read

For the first time since 2002, the Patriots have lost back-to-back games in December.

Sunday’s defeat came at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who did just enough to hold on for a 17-10 win over New England, which is now 3-5 on the road this year.

The Patriots committed a season-high 14 (accepted) penalties (most since 2014), Tom Brady threw a bad interception, three receivers dropped passes, and the run defense was again shredded.

It was the second straight week that New England could have wrapped up the AFC East, but came up short. The Patriots are looking for their 10th straight division title.

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New England is now 9-5, its first season with at least five losses since 2009, and drops to the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was 22-of-39 passing for 235 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (both by Duron Harmon). It was his first regular-season victory over New England since 2011.

“This is a total team victory. I’m so proud of so many guys, all phases of football,’’ Roethlisberger said.

Below are updates and analysis from the game as it unfolded.

Fourth quarter

FINAL — Steelers 17, Patriots 10 Steelers 17, Patriots 10 (0:00): 

Tom Brady threw three straight passes towards Rob Gronkowski on the Patriots final possession. The first two sailed through the back of the end zone, before his prayer on 4th and 15 was batted down for an incompletion. Ben Roethlisberger took a knee after the turnover on downs to complete a 17-10 Steelers’ victory.

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The Patriots offense was flagged for two more penalties on the drive, the first a False Start whistle on Joe Thuney and the second for Holding on Shaq Mason. Brady made up for one of those penalties with a 34-yard completion to Julian Edelman, but could not breach the end zone in the final four tries.

Steelers 17, Patriots 10 (2:30): After Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson ripped the ball away from JuJu Smith-Schuster to stop the Steelers drive, kicker Chris Boswell split the uprights for a 48-yard field goal.

Running back Jaylen Samuels led the Steelers downfield, going for 20 yards on 3rd and 9 and following that up with a 15-yard rush into New England territory. Pittsburgh reached the 30-yard line before Jackson’s intervention deep downfield forced the offense off the field.

Steelers 14, Patriots 10 (7:43): The Patriots failed to convert the short-field position into points. Instead, an under-pressure Tom Brady heave found Steelers cornerback Joe Haden instead of Julian Edelman, its intended target.

Rob Gronkowski, who hadn’t caught a pass before the New England drive began, got involved with two catches for first downs. The Patriots drove to the Pittsburgh 5-yard line, but were pushed back 10 yards by an Offensive Holding penalty before Haden leaped for the interception on 2nd and Goal.

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Steelers 14, Patriots 10 (12:07): Stephon Gilmore broke up a Ben Roethlisberger pass, deflecting the ball into Duron Harmon’s hands for the safety’s second interception of the evening. Steelers running back Jaylen Samuels had picked up a a 15-yard gain as Pittsburgh drove to midfield, before the turnover gave the ball back to Tom Brady.

Third quarter

Steelers 14, Patriots 10 (0:17): 

After Julian Edelman was stuffed 1-yard shy of the first down marker on third down, Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 33-yard field goal.

Tom Brady led the Patriots 63 yards in 13 plays, backed by the efforts of Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel on the ground. New England also moved the chains through the air, advancing 21 yards when Steelers cornerback Joe Haden was whistled for a Pass Interference penalty on a deep ball intended for Julian Edelman.

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (8:32): Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell sent an opportunity to extend the Steelers’ lead wide right of the uprights.

Ben Roethlisberger had led the offense 65 yards in nine plays, finding James Washington twice in three plays for gains of 24 and 32 yards. The Steelers drove to the New England 4-yard line, before an Intentional Grounding penalty on Roethlisberger pushed them back 10 yards. Pittsburgh had one more chance for seven points, but Vance McDonald couldn’t keep both feet in bounds in the end zone and Boswell jogged onto the field.

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Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (13:00): On 3rd and 6 at the New England 42-yard line, Tom Brady hit Josh Gordon in the chest six yards downfield. The wide receiver did not hold on to the pass, which cut the first drive of the second half short.

Sony Michel had picked up a first down on the first play from scrimmage, then rushed for back-to-back short gains. Ryan Allen punted to the Pittsburgh 21-yard line.

Second quarter

The Steelers led 14-7 entering the break. A few stats:

Total yards: NE 167, PIT 217

Plays: NE 22, PIT 35

Yards per play: NE 7.6, PIT 6.2

First downs: NE 6, PIT 15

Third down: NE 1-5, PIT 2-4

Penalties: NE 6-56, PIT 2-9

Tom Brady: 11-16, 138 yards, 1 TD, 116.1 rating

Ben Roethlisberger: 17-23, 150 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 101.7 rating

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (0:00): 

Although Cordarrelle Patterson thought he had fought for a first down on 3rd and 9, the Steelers challenged the ruling on the field and the Patriots wide receiver was ruled down short of the marker. The Patriots punted to the Pittsburgh 19-yard line and Ben Roethlisberger took a knee to end the half.

Patterson had moved the chains already in the drive, reeling in a Tom Brady pass on 3rd and 5. Brady nearly connected with Julian Edelman deep downfield three plays later, but the ball caromed off the wideout’s hands for an incompletion.

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (3:16): Pittsburgh punted after Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster failed to connect on 3rd and 2. The Steelers quarterback had found Smith-Schuster for an 8-yard gain on the previous play. Jordan Berry pinned the Patriots on their 19-yard line.

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Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (4:36): The Patriots had the first three-and-out of the game for either team. Tom Brady threw one incomplete pass and connected with Julian Edelman for a 5-yard gain to bring up third down. The Patriots quarterback felt the Steelers pass rush and threw a hurried incompletion intended for James White. Punter Ryan Allen sent Pittsburgh back to their 28-yard line.

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (6:01): On 2nd and 10 from the New England 46-yard line, Ben Roethlisberger fired a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster over the middle. The ball sailed past Smith-Schuster and into the waiting arms of Patriots safety Duron Harmon. The Patriots offense took over on their own 26-yard line after the interception.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1074430952233885696

The Steelers offense was marching downfield before the turnover, picking up three double-digit gains — including a 24-yard completion to Antonio Brown.

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (8:17): After the Patriots were forced to punt, their special teams unit pinned the Steelers on the Pittsburgh 1-yard line. Jonathan Jones and Rex Burkhead combined spectacular dives to keep the football out of the end zone and avoid the touchback. The Patriots drive came to a stop when the Steelers defense wrapped up James White well short of the first down marker on 3rd and 10.

Steelers 14, Patriots 7 (11:42): A pass interference penalty on Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, which came on a Ben Roethlisberger deep ball intended for Eli Rogers, allowed the Steelers easy access to the red zone. The flag set up a 17-yard touchdown catch by Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown.

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Early in the eight play, 92-yard drive, Roethlisberger tossed the football up and let JuJu Smith-Schuster go get it for a 22-yard gain on 2nd and 14. The quarterback kept the chains moving with a 6-yard pass to James Washington, then let the ball fly and was rewarded with the penalty.

First quarter

Steelers 7, Patriots 7 (1:18): 

Two dropped passes, one by Julian Edelman and another by James White, forced the Patriots offense off the field. Tom Brady had found Josh Gordon and James Develin, for gains of 19 and 11 yards respectively, before the incomplete passes brought out Ryan Allen for a 38-yard punt.

Steelers 7, Patriots 7 (3:06): The Patriots pass rush got to Ben Roethlisberger twice in five plays, forcing the Steelers to punt. Kyle Van Noy sacked the Pittsburgh quarterback for a 10-yard loss on first down, then Jonathan Jones did the same for a 7-yard loss on third down to stall the drive. Julian Edelman signaled for a fair catch at the New England 22-yard line.

Steelers 7, Patriots 7 (6:48): The Patriots needed just three plays to tie the game. After two short passes — and a Too Many Men on the Field penalty on the Steelers — Tom Brady fired a deep ball to a wide-open Chris Hogan, who waltzed into the end zone untouched for a 63-yard touchdown. Stephen Gostkowski added the extra point to draw New England level.

Steelers 7, Patriots 0 (8:40): Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found tight end Vance McDonald for a 5-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game.

Roethlisberger kept the drive from stalling early, connecting with wide receiver Eli Rogers across the middle for a first down on 3rd and 3. Jaylen Samuels led the Steelers from there. The running back rushed for a 25-yard gain, then added another first down through the air to reach the Patriots’ red zone.

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Coin toss: The Steelers won the toss and elected to receive. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense will start with the ball.

Inactives

Patriots: Keionta Davis, DL. Duke Dawson, DB. Derek Rivers, DE. James Ferentz, OL. Danny Shelton, DL. Obi Melifonwu, DB. Jacob Hollister, TE.

Steelers: Mason Rudolph, QB. Marcus Allen, S. Brian Allen, CB. James Conner, RB. Zach Banner, OT. Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, LB. L.T. Walton, DE.

Clinching scenarios

New England can clinch the AFC East with a win plus a Dolphins loss or tie, or with a tie plus a Dolphins loss. New England can clinch a playoff berth with a win plus a Titans loss or tie, or with a tie plus losses by the Ravens and Titans and a loss or tie by the Colts.

Pregame scenes

Patriots Steelers

Heinz Field.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots walks off the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Josh Gordon

Pittsburgh, PA 12-16-18: Patriots WR Josh Gordon heads off the field aftert doing a pre game walk around. The New England Patriots visited the Pittsburgh Steelers in a regular season NFL football game at Heinz Field. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

This and that

■ The Steelers downgraded running back James Conner (ankle) to doubtful. The club also activated receiver Eli Rogers from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He had an 18-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Patriots last season.

■ Sunday will be the 27th regular-season meeting between the clubs, with the Steelers owning a 14-12 advantage, including a 10-8 mark in Pittsburgh. The franchises have met five times in the postseason, with the Patriots holding a 4-1 edge

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■  Steelers assistant head coach John Mitchell was Belichick’s defensive line coach with the Browns from 1991-93.

■  Winning on the road has been a staple of the Patriots’ reign, but this season has been a struggle. Their gut-punch loss to the Dolphins last week dropped them to 3-4 away from Gillette Stadium.

— Jim McBride and Julian Benbow, Globe Staff

Keys to victory

Steelers

1.) Gone, gone, gone: Mike Tomlin’s club must put its three-game skid — and their recent history against the Patriots — in the rearview. This game against this team is all that really matters.

2.) Mr. Roboto: Ben Roethlisberger has to be sharp — particularly in the red zone. Taking unnecessary risks will haunt you against opportunistic teams. Take the safe route to stay in it for the long haul.

3.) Renegade: T.J. Watt must dominate. He has the skills to set the edge against the run and crush the pocket. His teammates feed off his energy, so he has to bring it all game long.

Patriots

1.) The Best of Times: Bury those Miami memories and move on — you can’t let the stunning loss to the Dolphins carryover and lead to another loss. Conjure up the good feelings of past trips here.

2.) Show Me the Way: The offensive line must create space for Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, and James White to move the ball on the ground. Striking a balance is essential to success.

3.) Having a Ball: Get the ball to Rob Gronkowski. The tight end is coming off his best game and has traditionally thrived against Pittsburgh’s scheme. Feed him until they stop him.

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— Jim McBride, Globe Staff

Pregame reading

■ Chad Finn: Patriots-Steelers feels like a rivalry, but the numbers say otherwise (Read more)

■ What experts are predicting for Sunday’s Patriots-Steelers game (Read more)

■ Julian Edelman, Robert Kraft show support for Jewish community in Pittsburgh (Read more)