The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New England Patriots in the 2016 AFC Championship and on a controversial call during the 2017 regular season. Mike Mitchell is ready for another chance.
In an interview with Greg Bishop of the MMQB, Mitchell said he expects to see the Patriots in the postseason — and expects the Steelers to redeem themselves.
“We’re going to play [the Patriots] again. We can play them in hell, we can play them in Haiti, we can play them in New England. … We’re gonna win.”
Pittsburgh has lost five consecutive matchups with the Patriots, including a 27-24 heart-breaker in Week 15. It appeared the Steelers had finally shaken New England, but a replay negated a Jesse James touchdown before Ben Roethlisberger threw a game-sealing interception in the end zone.
Between that contest and the 2016 AFC title, two of Pittsburgh’s four most recent losses have happened opposite Tom Brady. The Steelers, as many teams should be these days, are tired of losing to the Patriots.
New England is expected to cruise past the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round, so another showdown is possible. However, Pittsburgh must be careful not to look past the Jacksonville Jaguars, considering the Jags won the regular-season meeting 30-9.
But if the Steelers dispatch Jacksonville, they’ll set up the rematch Mitchell desperately wants to have. And he’s surely not alone.