Ex New England Patriots Scout Reveals Game Plan vs. Steelers in 2001 AFC Championship

The New England Patriots dynasty may have never began if not for a gutsy win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship Game.

The 2001 season was a special one for the New England Patriots, as it marked their first Super Bowl championship and the birth of the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

Before they even got to that point, though, the Patriots had to go through the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. The Steelers earned the AFC's top seed with a 13-3 record, and going into a hostile environment at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) was going to be a great challenge. New England jumped out to a 21-3 lead, then held off a late Pittsburgh rally to win 24-17.

The Patriots needed the perfect game plan to topple the Steelers, and such a plan they had. On Julian Edelman's "Games With Names" podcast, Ernie Adams, the Patriots' former football research director and trusted lieutenant of Bill Belichick, broke down how New England came in with the perfect plan to shut Pittsburgh down.

Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots director of football research

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“We had gone in to play the Steelers. That was Jerome Bettis, Kordell Stewart, a totally different game-planned team,” Adams said. “We go in and play the Steelers. It’s Cover 3, we’re going to bring the strong safety, we’re going to stop their running game. Make them beat us throwing.”

The Patriots had just beaten the pass-happy Oakland Raiders in the infamous "Tuck Rule Game" a week earlier, so planning for the ground-and-pound Steelers offense took quite the adjustment. They worked that plan to perfection, though, as they held Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis to just eight yards and a touchdown on one carry. Meanwhile, they made life miserable for quarterback Kordell Steward, forcing three interceptions and three sacks.

Even with the best game plan, improvisation is sometimes necessary to win games. The Patriots found themselves in such a situation when Tom Brady went down with a knee injury and Drew Bledsoe replaced him, a role reversal from earlier in the season. Despite not starting since Week 2, Bledsoe threw a key touchdown to help New England emerge victorious.

“Tom got hurt and Drew (Bledsoe), being a team guy, threw a big touchdown pass and we won the game,” Adams said. “If Drew doesn’t come in and play well against the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl.”

This game would later live in infamy, as it became a major part of the Spygate scandal that came to light in 2007. That revelation wouldn't change the outcome of the game, though, as even late Steelers owner Dan Rooney referred to it as a "non-issue."