Patriots edge Steelers in thriller

No matter what code you follow, what team you support, we have all felt the gut-wrenching emotion this poor Steelers fan goes through watching Tom Brady's Patriots get the win.

The Pats-Steelers game was undoubtedly the match of the season, an absolute thriller and lived up to the hype that every single NFL fan across America has placed on it beforehand.

And it saw the Patriots gain an edge on home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with the dramatic and controversial 27-24 win.

Steelers tight end Jesse James dove into the end zone for what would have been a go-ahead score with 34 seconds remaining, but a controversial replay review overturned the touchdown.

After a short pass to Eli Rogers, the Steelers were faced with third-and-goal from the six-yard line. Ben Roethlisberger's pass for Rogers was tipped and intercepted in the end zone to end the game.

The Patriots had taken the lead after Steelers safety Sean Davis gave them new life by dropping what would have been a game-clinching interception.

Given a second chance, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took advantage by leading a five-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that ended with an eight-yard run by Dion Lewis. The key play on the drive was an incredible catch by Rob Gronkowski, who snatched the ball off the turf for a 17-yard gain.

The Steelers responded on the ensuing possession as Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 69-yard strike on the first play.

That set up the initial 10-yard touchdown pass to James before the call was overturned.

Just reading those few paragraphs above even if you didn't see the game you can understand how tense it was, how the Steelers should have won the match and how, again, the ageless champion Brady guided his team to victory over a key rival.

Hence the man's pain in the video above.

Sunday's win clinched the AFC East for the Patriots (11-3), who have won the division in nine straight seasons. The loss by the Steelers (11-3) opened the door for the Jaguars (10-4), who cruised to a 45-7 win over the Texans, to grab a first-round bye.

The Steelers also suffered a loss during the game when leading receiver Antonio Brown left in the second quarter with an injured calf.