For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2004 season was a fairy tale. They drafted their quarterback for the future in Ben Roethlisberger, finished with a league-best 15 wins, and made the AFC Championship Game. Sadly, Pittsburgh’s storybook season came to a bitter end at Heinz Field when they lost to the New England Patriots 41-27. Although the loss was a tough pill to swallow, Pittsburgh’s former general manager Kevin Colbert believes that the Steelers would not have won Super Bowl XL the next year without it.
“I always tell people, that last time when New England beat us at home, if they don’t, we probably don’t win the Super Bowl the next year because it was fresh in our memory,” said Colbert on The Lyons Share Podcast.