Steelers likely get one final crack against Tom Brady at Acrisure Stadium

The obstacles facing the Pittsburgh Steelers secondary Sunday are tantamount to trying to climb Mt. Everest in tennis shoes.

Four of the top six defensive backs won’t suit up because of injury, leaving the Steelers to start two unproven players at cornerback and deploy a safety tandem that won’t include two-time All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady presumably spoke with a straight face when he complimented the banged-up secondary that he will face in what likely will be the final stop at Acrisure Stadium of his 23-year NFL career.

“They’re going to challenge us,” Brady said. “They’re going to be sound, they’re going to be in the right position and they’re going to earn it.”

Brady’s visit will be his first with the Buccaneers and eighth regular-season start here in his illustrious NFL career. Yes, he walked out of the former Heinz Field with a pair of AFC championship game wins in the Spygate era. And he is unbeaten in six starts, including playoffs, against the Steelers at New England.

But when it comes to playing here in the regular season, Brady has a pedestrian 4-3 record on the North Shore, losing his most recent visit in 2018. The Steelers actually would be riding a two-game home winning streak against Brady if not for Al Riveron overturning Jesse James’ touchdown catch in the 2017 meeting that cost the Steelers the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

While the odds certainly are stacked against the Steelers on Sunday given their injury situation on defense — T.J. Watt also won’t play — they have found a way to beat Brady before.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the better days the Steelers enjoyed when facing Brady:

Oct. 31, 2004: Steelers 34, Patriots 20

In his first career regular-season start on the North Shore, Brady and the Patriots brought an NFL-record 21-game winning streak into the game, but the Steelers took control in the first quarter behind rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, scoring 21 points within an eight-play span to take a 21-3 lead.

The Steelers found the best way to beat Brady was to keep him on the sidelines, controlling the clock for nearly 43 minutes. In a sign of a bygone era, the Steelers rushed for 221 yards and held the Patriots to 5.

Brady attempted 43 passes, completing 25 for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which Deshea Townsend returned 39 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers also sacked Brady four times, with Joey Porter accounting for three of the takedowns.

Plaxico Burress had two touchdown catches for the Steelers.

Oct. 30, 2011: Steelers 25, Patriots 17

Brady won starts at Heinz Field in 2005 and 2010. When he returned in 2011, the Patriots had a 5-1 record and the Steelers were 5-2.

The Steelers held 10-0 and 17-7 leads in the first half by again controlling the clock. The Patriots were on the field for fewer than nine minutes in the half, and Brady had 55 yards passing.

The lead increased to 23-10 early in the fourth quarter before Brady threw a touchdown pass with 2 minutes, 35 seconds left to cut the deficit to six points. With 0:08 left, Brett Keisel forced a fumble that went out of bounds in the end zone for a safety that sealed the win.

Brady completed 25 of 39 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns, but the Steelers sacked him three times and possessed the ball for 39 minutes. LaMarr Woodley had two of the three sacks.

Dec. 16, 2018: Steelers 17, Patriots 10

After the 2011 loss, Brady won his next four starts against the Steelers, including the controversial 27-24 decision in 2017 when Roethlisberger’s 10-yard touchdown pass to James with 28 seconds left didn’t “survive the ground” and was overturned upon replay review by Riveron from New York.

In this encounter, the Steelers were amid a late-season slide, taking a three-game losing streak into the game. The win against the Patriots was the only one in a five-game stretch. Those losses cost the Steelers a spot in the playoffs.

Jaylen Samuels, in his second NFL start at running back, rushed for 142 yards on 19 carries, and Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes. Brady completed 25 of 36 attempts for 279 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Steelers defense denied Brady after giving up a 63-yard touchdown on the Patriots’ first possession. The next eight possessions for New England ended this way: punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, field goal, interception, downs. Three times Brady got the Patriots into the red zone, but they came away with just three points. The win was sealed for the Steelers when Morgan Burnett broke up Brady’s fourth-down pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left.