The New England Patriots had not lost a game in 398 days. On October 31, 2004, at Heinz Field, a rookie quarterback who had never lost an NFL start ended that run. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the defending champions 34-20, and the Patriots’ NFL-record winning streak stopped at 21 games.
It was 21-3 before the first quarter was over. Pittsburgh ran the ball 49 times for 221 yards, sacked Tom Brady four times and took the ball away four times. New England ran it six times for five yards.
Two streaks meet in Pittsburgh
New England’s last loss had come on September 28, 2003, 20-17 at Washington. From there the Patriots won their last 12 regular-season games of 2003, three playoff games and Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina, then opened 2004 with six more wins. That made 21 in a row, 18 of them in the regular season, both NFL records.
Pittsburgh was 5-1. Tommy Maddox started the first two games, and Roethlisberger, the 11th pick in that spring’s draft, came on in relief of an injured Maddox in a Week 2 loss at Baltimore. He started every game after that, and Pittsburgh won all four going in: 13-3 at Miami, 28-17 over Cincinnati, 34-23 over Cleveland and 24-20 at Dallas.
The Patriots came to Pittsburgh without running back Corey Dillon, who sat out with a thigh injury, and lost Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law to a foot injury after only a few plays. It was also four days after the Boston Red Sox had won their first World Series in 86 years.
Eighteen points in 13 minutes
Adam Vinatieri gave New England a 3-0 lead with a 43-yard field goal on its first drive. Then the game turned. On second-and-6, Roethlisberger threw deep for Plaxico Burress, who caught it for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:54 left in the first quarter.
On New England’s first snap after the kickoff, Joey Porter sacked Brady, knocked the ball loose, and Kimo von Oelhoffen recovered at the New England 27. The Steelers needed six plays to cash it in, with Roethlisberger finding Burress again for a 4-yard touchdown. Bill Belichick challenged the catch, the call was upheld, and the Patriots were charged a timeout.
On New England’s next snap, Brady threw for Bethel Johnson and Deshea Townsend stepped in front of it, returning the interception 39 yards for a touchdown. In 3:32 of game time, a 3-0 Patriots lead had become 21-3.
Ike Taylor, Jerome Bettis and the second wave
Ike Taylor intercepted Brady at the Pittsburgh 20 midway through the second quarter, and the Steelers answered with an 11-play drive that ended in a 19-yard Jeff Reed field goal. Brady hit David Givens for a 2-yard touchdown with 46 seconds left in the half, and it was 24-10 at the break.
The second half started the same way the first quarter had ended. On New England’s first snap of the half, Porter hit Kevin Faulk after a short catch and forced another fumble, and Aaron Smith recovered at the 22. Five plays later, Jerome Bettis went up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown and a 31-10 lead.
Vinatieri and Reed traded field goals, and Brady found Givens for a 23-yard touchdown with 6:39 left. Pittsburgh then took the ball at its own 20 and kept it for the rest of the game: 13 plays, a 13-yard third-down catch by fullback Dan Kreider, a 29-yard Bettis run to the 8 and three Roethlisberger kneel-downs.
| Qtr | Time | Team | Score | NE | PIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:40 | NE | Adam Vinatieri 43-yard field goal | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | 3:54 | PIT | Plaxico Burress 47-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick) | 3 | 7 |
| 1 | 0:33 | PIT | Burress 4-yard pass from Roethlisberger (Reed kick) | 3 | 14 |
| 1 | 0:22 | PIT | Deshea Townsend 39-yard interception return (Reed kick) | 3 | 21 |
| 2 | 2:09 | PIT | Reed 19-yard field goal | 3 | 24 |
| 2 | 0:46 | NE | David Givens 2-yard pass from Tom Brady (Vinatieri kick) | 10 | 24 |
| 3 | 13:09 | PIT | Jerome Bettis 2-yard run (Reed kick) | 10 | 31 |
| 3 | 10:44 | NE | Vinatieri 25-yard field goal | 13 | 31 |
| 3 | 2:10 | PIT | Reed 29-yard field goal | 13 | 34 |
| 4 | 6:39 | NE | Givens 23-yard pass from Brady (Vinatieri kick) | 20 | 34 |
| Number | Detail |
|---|---|
| 49 for 221 | Pittsburgh rushing attempts and yards |
| 6 for 5 | New England rushing attempts and yards |
| 25 for 125 | Duce Staley’s rushing line |
| 15 for 65 | Jerome Bettis’ rushing line, with a touchdown |
| 18 of 24, 196 | Ben Roethlisberger: 2 TD, 0 INT, not sacked |
| 25 of 47, 271 | Tom Brady: 2 TD, 2 INT, sacked four times |
| 3 | Joey Porter’s sacks, with two forced fumbles |
| 8 for 101 | David Givens’ receiving line |
| 4 | New England turnovers: two fumbles and two interceptions |
| 64,737 | Attendance at Heinz Field |
What they said
Belichick did not argue with any of it. “They outcoached us. They outplayed us,” he said. “We were not very good in any phase of the game. We did not do much right. Any time you give up 34 points, especially on the road, it’s going to be hard to win.”
Roethlisberger’s own streak was now 18 games, counting his last 13 at Miami of Ohio and his first five NFL starts. He tried to slow the talk down. “It’s only been five games,” he said. “We keep saying it over and over again, let’s not get too excited.”
What came next
The next Sunday, Pittsburgh hosted the unbeaten Eagles, who were 7-0, and won 27-3. Roethlisberger won all 13 of his regular-season starts as a rookie, and the Steelers finished 15-1 with the AFC’s top seed. New England lost only once more, 29-28 at Miami in December, and finished 14-2.
The rematch came in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field on January 23, 2005. This time the Patriots won 41-27, and two weeks later they beat Philadelphia 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX for their third title in four seasons. Roethlisberger and the Steelers got theirs a year later in Super Bowl XL.
One more detail from the play-by-play: three face mask fouls were called that night, two on Pittsburgh and one on New England. Our new face mask penalty guide explains what the 2026 rule says, why grabbing a mask is not always a foul, and how often it has been called this season.
Related WhyNFL reading: October 23, 2000: The Monday Night Miracle, Coach’s challenge and instant replay, Fumble rules. Team pages: Steelers, Patriots.
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