Their much-anticipated showdown is weeks away, but this early, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has given a prediction on what to expect from their explosive clash with the New England Patriots. "I'm going to embrace the elephant in the room. The game is going to be fireworks," Tomlin said in an interview with NBC's Tony Dungy, before their 31-28 win over the Green Bay Packers. Tomlin boasted that he has the team that could "win it all" and the Patriots could be the only squad standing in their way. The Week 15 clash between the Patriots and Steelers could be for the home-field advantage and a possible preview of the AFC title clash.
"And it's probably going to be Part 1. That's going to be a big game," added Tomlin, referring to the possible AFC championship clash with the Patriots.
With identical 9-2 marks, it looks like the Steelers and Patriots are headed for another AFC championship clash. Last season, the Patriots defeated the Steelers, 36-17, behind Tom Brady’s 384 passing yards and three touchdowns to reach the Super Bowl. Brady then captured his fifth Super Bowl ring after leading the Patriots’ comeback from a 25-point deficit en route to an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Patriots down Dolphins
In Week 12, Brady completed 18-of-28 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns with an interception to lead the Patriots to an impressive 35-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins for their seventh straight win after a 2-2 start.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught two of Brady’s scoring strikes and finished with five receptions for 82 yards. Brandin Cooks caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown while Rex Burkhead caught a touchdown pass from Brady, aside from running for 50 yards and a score. Dion Lewis carried the ball 15 times for 112 yards for the Patriots.
Matt Moore completed 23-of-34 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions while Jarvis Landry caught eight passes for 70 yards for the Dolphins, who dropped to 4-7 after suffering a fifth straight loss.
Steelers edge Packers
Ben Roethlisberger completed 33-of-45 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions while Chris Boswell made a 53-yard field goal as time expired as the Steelers defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-28.
Antonio Brown caught 10 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns while Martavis Bryant and Xavier Grimble each caught a touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. Le’Veon Bell had an all-around game, catching 12 passes for 88 yards and rushing 20 times for 95 yards for the Steelers.
