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Pittsburgh Steelers legends Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis recently sat down to discuss their NFL careers and in doing so they shared a complaint that many have through the years: That the New England Patriots cheated before a big game.
During Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers legends agreed that the Patriots cheated during the 2004 AFC Championship Game.
Betting accused the Patriots of stealing signs and using coaching hand signals to get a big stop of the Steelers on a crucial fourth-and-1. The Steelers lost that game 41-27 after going 15-1 in the regular season.
The Patriots would go on to win the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, securing their third Super Bowl in four years and officially establishing them as a dynasty.
Big Ben and Jerome Bettis on playing the Patriots in the 2004 AFC Championship Game:
Ben: “To be fair the Patriots cheated.”
Jerome: “For Sure they did.”#steelers
🎥YT/ Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger@_BigBen7 pic.twitter.com/m9G5Oe0qR6
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) September 25, 2023
Had the Pittsburgh Steelers not won a Super Bowl of their own the following year and a second one three years after that, chances are more Steelers fans would be extremely bitter over that loss.
But unlike some playoff losses the Patriots inflicted, the 2004 AFC Championship didn’t derail and entire franchise.
Do you think the Patriots cheated during that game? How many times do you think they actually cheated?