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The 10 best Patriots games of the 2010s decade: Nos. 10-7

By Brady McAlear

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime to win Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime to win Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 17: Jesse James #81 of the Pittsburgh Steelers dives for the end zone for an apparent touchdown in the fourth quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 17, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After official review, it was ruled an incomplete pass (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 17: Jesse James #81 of the Pittsburgh Steelers dives for the end zone for an apparent touchdown in the fourth quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 17, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After official review, it was ruled an incomplete pass (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

No. 7: The Catch That Wasn’t II

27. 47. 24. 55. Final

  • December 17 2017
  • Week 15
  • Heinz Field
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Staying within the 2017 season for No. 7 on the list, this Week 15 game meant everything for these two teams. The Steelers came in 11-2 and held the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while New England was right behind them at 10-3 and with the No. 2 seed. There was a feeling in the air that whichever team won this matchup at Heinz Field would wind up with home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

The hype of a matchup this surreal did not disappoint, as the game was extremely close throughout. Pittsburgh held an eight-point lead – the largest of the day by either team – late in the fourth quarter.

New England would kick a field goal to pull within five and then managed to get the ball back with 2:04 remaining. A pair of 26-yard receptions from Rob Gronkowski set the scene for Dion Lewis’ eight-yard touchdown run.

A successful two-point conversion attempt put the Pats up 27-24 and seemingly also put the game away. That was, until Ben Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 69-yard gain.

Nice. With 34 seconds left and Pittsburgh on the New England 10-yard line, it now seemed certain that the Steelers would at least tie the game with a field goal.

What happens next still makes me scratch my head to this day:

Steelers tight end Jesse James ‘caught’ the ball and fell into the end zone for a touchdown… or so everyone thought. Supposedly, James had not “survived contact with the ground,” as NFL officiating guru Al Riveron put it, and the pass was incomplete.

Of course, Big Ben was intercepted by Duron Harmon just two plays later, finally sealing a Patriots win.

The ripple effect from this game wasn’t as big as it could’ve been. While New England did use this advantage to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs, they never actually met the Steelers, who would fall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round.

Next. 15 best Patriots free agent acquisitions of all-time. dark

Even still, the stench of controversy lingers around this game, especially when Zach Ertz had an extremely similar play just two months later in Super Bowl LII that was ruled a touchdown:

Patriots Player of the Game: Rob Gronkowski, nine Receptions for 168 Yards

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