Franchises go one on one for bragging rights
“Look at teams that haven’t made the playoffs in how many years. I am just so thankful and blessed to be a part of this organization, that has been able to make it to the playoffs, win Super Bowls. I just try to reiterate to the young guys now, just how precious this moment is.”
It is a moment that can be fleeting for the loser. No one remembers the championship lose rs, otherwise the Steelers of 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2004 would go down in lore, rather than disappointment.
“It’s the championship game,’’ Roethlisberger said, in case anyone wasn’t paying attention. “You have one game to get to the Super Bowl. You are going up to the lion’s den, the dragon’s lair. They are the dragon. We are trying to slay them.”
What better matchup could there be in this AFC championship? Nothing even close. Miami? Baltimore? Cincinnati? Kansas City? Nothing compares to Steelers-Patriots. Only Dallas, Green Bay and San Francisco of the NFC could challenge these two for their past successes combined with their popularity.
“Obviously, we have a lot of respect for New England, they’ve been doing it at a very high level for a very long time,’’ safety Mike Mitchell said. “It’s going to be two great franchises meeting on Sunday. This is why you play.”
With two Super Bowl victories since the 2005 season, the Steelers are the only AFC team with more Lombardi Trophies than New England since that time. The Patriots, though, are the dominant team of this century with four Lombardi Trophies and six trips to the Super Bowl since their first in the 2001 season.
“They are the best in the world,” Roethlisberger proclaimed. “They are the gold standard, if you will. So you want to have that opportunity to go up to play the best. It will be an awesome challenge for us.”
It is their first postseason meeting since New England won the AFC title in Heinz Field in the 2004 season, repeating a performance from three years earlier. They went on to win Super Bowls both times.
The Steelers have not had much success in the playoffs against New England. They are 1-3. This will be only the second time they’ve played the Patriots on the road in the postseason, having lost in 1996 at the old stadium in Foxborough.
It is for these kinds of opportunities that safety Mike Mitchell said he signed with the Steelers as a free agent from Carolina in 2014.
“When I was a free agent, the reason that I came to Pittsburgh is because Pittsburgh had six Super Bowls,’’ Mitchell said. “So that is why I wanted to come here and play for this franchise. I know New England is somewhere near the top, but in my mind Pittsburgh was the cream of the crop and I wanted to come here.”
Roethlisberger, in his 13th NFL season, will play in his sixth AFC championship. Pittsburgh native Dan Marino played in three, lost two and never won a Super Bowl.
“You never know if this opportunity will present itself again,’’ Roethlisberger said. “You might as well enjoy it and relish every moment. I’ve been telling these young guys … You don’t know if we will be able to do this again. So enjoy it. Enjoy every moment of it. It truly is a blessing to be able to do what we do.”
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette. and Twitter @EdBouchette.