Plays of the Year: Burnett denies Brady and a Patriots comeback for a huge Steelers win

Steel City Underground presents “Plays of the Year” featuring the tops runs, catches, hits and everything else in-between from the Pittsburgh Steelers 2018 season.

The showdown in Week 15 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots was one that analysts had been talking about before the 2018-19 NFL regular season even kicked off. With a playoff atmosphere in the air at Heinz Field, the two teams battling in a grudge match, the waning moments of the game saw Tom Brady trot onto the field to do what Brady has become famous for – nailing the lid of the coffin shut with a late drive for a win.

Instead, with the Steelers defense stepping up during the pivotal moment, Brady threw several incomplete passes and the Patriots drew a costly penalty. Finding themselves in an unfavorable fourth down situation, Brady tried to hook up with Julian Edelman (the man who would go on to become the Super Bowl MVP) to steal a victory from Pittsburgh.

As T.J. Watt applied the outside pressure on Brady, Morgan Burnett sniffed out the pass like a hound, getting airborne to bat the would-be touchdown attempt to the ground, redeeming himself for a lackluster performance the previous week. The play forced a turnover on downs and allowed the Steelers to simply run out the clock for their first win over New England since 2011 in front of the home-town crowd.