The Patriots forced three turnovers and they stopped Pittsburgh's running game. The NFL's longest-tenured coach also is now facing questions about his game strategy.

01:00 AM EST on Monday, January 24, 2005

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH -- His team was the best in football all season long. But last night, Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher had to try and digest their first loss in four months in the game that mattered most.

"There is not a whole lot you can say. It is very disappointing," said Cowher, who is now 1-4 in AFC Championship games. "These guys threw their hearts and souls into that game and this season. All I can tell them is to hold their heads up high. There will be no finger-pointing but it is a very disappointing feeling right now."

The Steelers in many ways got beaten at their own game. New England forced the turnovers -- three of them. The Patriots bottled up the Pittsburgh running game. The Patriots were the ones who got to spots a step early with bad intentions on their mind when they arrived.

"We had three turnovers, we gave up some big plays on defense and we got ourselves in a hole that we really couldn't get out of," said Cowher. "The things we have not done all year."

The NFL's longest tenured coach will get heat for this loss. Even as his players talked mostly about the Pats just hitting them on two big plays, his team was blown out in January much the way the Pats were blown out by the Steelers in October. When would any coach rather get beaten?

Pittsburgh was dominant in October and November, In mid-December, they started to lose their edge. But for two missed field goals last week by Jets kicker Doug Brien, the Steelers wouldn't even have been playing yesterday. Pittsburgh may have lost just once all year, but their efficiency was on the wane.

There was also talk after the game about Cowher's decision to kick a field goal that made the score 31-20 in the fourth quarter instead of trying for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.

"With 13 and a half minutes to go to be down 11 points, I thought there was too much time to go with 2 yards and (risk) coming away with nothing," he said. "That is my decision. I would do it again. We really couldn't get any key stops and that was it."

Cowher doesn't mask his emotions. The play of his rookie quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger may not have caused the loss but it made it impossible for his team to win.

"Ben did some things well but you can't throw three interceptions, not in a game of this magnitude," said Cowher. "When you get down into the red zone you would like to think you'll come away with a minimum of three points. We got down there and gave up seven (on Rodney Harrison's 87-yard interception return). The kid will learn. He is going to be a very good quarterback. It is a very empty feeling right now. Give it time and they can sit back and reflect. There is a lot to be proud of, but there is no consolation for what happened tonight."